


Streetlights

by RexusXenox



Series: Streetlights (80s!Haikyuu) [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: 80s AU, Angst, Diners, Dorks, Drive-Ins, Eventual Fluff, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, Everyone is a dork, Fluff, High School, Hinata Shouyou is Sunshine, Hinata Shouyou is a Dork, I'll tag as I go, Kageyama Tobio is a Dork, Kageyama might smoke a little, M/M, Oikawa Tooru Is Not a Morning Person, Oikawa Trash Prince, Police, Tsukishima Kei is a Dork, but not in a sexual manner, gay volleyball, just oikawa being a dick, law breaking, low-key protective Kageyama, lowkey Oikawa and Kageyama references, slight Kagekawa, street volleyball
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-18
Updated: 2017-06-05
Packaged: 2018-06-02 23:54:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 25,617
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6588439
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RexusXenox/pseuds/RexusXenox
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The days of Queen, Depeche Mode, Duran Duran, and Bon Jovi; the days of Drive-Ins and Milkshakes; the days of the Atari and Pac-Man; the days of Big Hair and No Cares; the days of Magnum P.I and The Dukes of Hazzard; the days where life was as carefree as ever and everyone seemed to fit in somewhere--These days were more than twenty-four hour routine. These days were what living truly was.</p><p>When he begins his sophomore year with a literal flop, Hinata Shoyou soon finds himself at the bottom of the social chain where he struggles to survive beneath the overwhelming presence of Kageyama Tobio. In an attempt to save his image and future, Hinata accepts a mysterious offer that would lead him into a life-changing sport: Volleyball.  </p><p>The only problem: Kageyama Tobio conveniently made it there before he did.</p><p>Through Violence, Rivalry, Confrontation, Police chases, Drive-in sneak-ins,Loud Music, Long car-rides Make-out sessions, Love, Sex, and back again, Hinata realizes that maybe life has more of a meaning than he thought.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Baby Chicks

**Author's Note:**

> Note: This is my first ever Haikyuu fic. 
> 
> I was inspired to write this fic after watching Grease and listening to 80s music all day, so naturally, I wasn't serious about it. That is, until I started writing it. Now with a full plot line and romance planned I give you the 80s AU!Haikyuu! fic that probably three people ever asked for. 
> 
> Despite what it may seem, I hope you all enjoy reading this fic and stay with me to the bitter end. 
> 
> (*****ALL FICS WILL BE UPDATED THE WEEK OF APRIL 25 DUE TO PERSONAL COMPLICATIONS*****)

"I-I think I'm going to need a bathroom!" I squeaked as my hands began to shake in my lap as I looked out of the back window of Koji's 73 Omega as we rode into the school parking lot. The crowd of people nearly tripled that of middle school not too mention the diversity of social cliques that were already noticeable. Countless times before, Izumi and Koji had warned me of the groups that were in highschool, but nothing could quite compare to the reality of this. Some of them looked dangerous, and some look downright idiotic. Some looked extremely smart, and some looked super preppy. However, this wasn't the reason I was worried.

"Hinata, you've got seven hours of the school day to get through. You can't spend them in the bathroom, you have to make a name for yourself...or at least get the teachers to like you so they'll have sympathy on you when exams roll around," Izumi sighed and scratched his head from where he sat in the passenger seat, "What's got you so scared anyway? They are people just like you, and they don't have a reason to hate you yet."

I laughed and pulled on the collar of my blue button-up that rested easily over my white t-shirt, "W-well...y-you guys..."

Koji glared in the rearview mirror at me, "So you're embarrassed at us, huh? What the hell, Hinata?!"

"No! No! Koji, you've got it wrong. It's just these people...everyone is so...tall. I look like a kindergartener compared to these giants! I mean these guys are in jeans and leather and they've got cigarettes, or their super cool and have nice cars, or they're super smart! Just look at them! They're so...different than I expected!" I looked in amazement at the height of everyone getting out of their car and watched the different demeanor of everyone as they flocked to people like them, but my moments of observation were cut short when we pulled into a parking spot and boisterous laughter erupted in the car.

I looked to Koji and Izumi and then back again, but they were just laughing while my cheeks grew hot. "W-What's so funny, you guys? C-cut it out!"

As their laughter devolved into breathy huffs and a tear dripped from Izumi's eye, Koji whipped around as he unlatched his seatbelt, "It's funny because they are only overwhelmingly tall to you! Everyone else had their growth spurt! Now come on, short stuff," he reached back and messed up my hair, "it's time to go make our first impression." 

If it had been anyone else laughing at me, I would have started a fight right then and there. I knew I was short. I'd been tall in elementary school, but then one day everyone around me started growing really fast while I was stuck at a mere turtle's pace. From that point on I'd always been conscious of my height and the disadvantages it gave me, and occasionally, I was the target for bullies. Well, I was the target until Koji and Izumi had my back. For some unknown reason they were always respected in school, but I saw them as just two nice guys no different from myself...well...maybe six or seven inches different.

I eased out of the car and stretched my arms then my legs. While the ride hadn't been more than fifteen minutes, and I hadn't been cramped, I felt suddenly tense--I felt like I was being watched like prey, causing my insides to turn flips. 

"Hey, Hinata, get your backpack. We're heading in," Izumi called, several feet away from the car. Koji was already halfway down the sidewalk leading to the main entrance of the large brick school, and if not for his old black backpack, I would have never picked him out of the crowd. He already fit it. 

Nervously, I grabbed my bag from the back of the car and put one foot in front of the other until I reached Izumi. The queasy feeling that I had subdued was back again and I had no fight left to resist it. This is it. I'm gonna hu--

"Hey! Hinata, look at that car! Who drives something that nice to school?" Izumi pointed to a dark emerald-green 1969 Camaro with white racing stripes that purred as it glided into a parking spot. 

I typically wasn't some car enthusiast, but I will not deny that at the sight of that Chevrolet pulling into the parking lot I became slightly--only slightly--jealous. Staring in utter curiosity to see who would get out of the car, I noticed that everyone else had fallen silent and was doing the same. It was as if he was the center of attention, as if his presence was suddenly more important than anyone else's, as if he were a king commanding us all to fall at his feet, and we were his loyal subjects.

The door opened slowly and, in what seemed like years but was only a few seconds, _he_ stepped out. His footing, his posture, his entire demeanor asserted his authority despite having his back turned to the crowd that lotted the campus. Some people were unaffected by his arrival, in fact several of them were, but they didn't speak; they just made their way into the school. I yearned for their strength--and also height--but want cannot get you everything, can it? 

"Hey...he's a new kid right? One of the sophomores that are transferring over from the junior high?"

My gaze momentarily escaped the grand arrival of the school's newest nobility to focus on a silver-blonde haired-guy dressed in a peachy button-up that loosely outlined his figure and was tucked neatly under lightly worn jeans. The charcoal vest thrown over top would have looked atrocious on anyone else, except on him it only highlighted his small waist, giving him the mature yet slightly lanky appearance. He spoke, sounding as intrigued as everyone else was about the newest arrival--or well the newest arrival that anyone cared about--to a larger person with short clean-cut dark hair and olive skin. The latter wore a black, white, and orange Letterman's jacket over top of what appeared to be a band tee that I hadn't heard of, nor could I fully see the name print. 

"I almost want to say he’s a junior, but I've never seen him around, Suga," the dark-haired person spoke before turning around, "We'll find out soon enough. Come on, or we'll be late to homeroom."

The silver-haired guy watched the newcomer with a pondering expression before turning around to follow his comrade, queuing my focus back on the guy in the Camaro. 

His hair was short, raven-black, and slightly tousled possibly from riding with the windows down. I could make out that he was wearing a leather jacket which I hoped did not indicate that he was a metalhead, but considering he didn't drive in blaring music, the possibilities of that were slim. While I was lost in thought wondering what category he fit into, I missed the sudden jolt and the mass running away and carrying on of business when the kingly figured turned around on his heels, shut the door, and grabbed his backpack out of the back. 

"H-hey, Hinata. L-Let's go, a-alright?" Izumi shook me lightly and jarred me back into reality; something was off about him as if he's been startled, but I didn't mention it, and instead followed him toward the entrance once I noticed that the stranger driving the nice car was gone. Skipping happily, I came to a sudden stop and looked at Izumi with a large grin, "Hey! Izumi! I'm not nervous anymore! It's a divine intermission!"

Giving a slight laugh Izumi shook his head, "Hinata, the word you are looking for is 'intervention'. You have your schedule right?"

I gave a nod, slightly blushing as a few girls who heard my slip-up passed by giggling, and pulled out the green paper my schedule was printed on. We had received our schedule two weeks ago, and to our dismay Izumi, Koji, and I had no classes together. Not even homeroom. It was upsetting to us all considering we were taking the same basic classes--with the exception of Izumi being in a few honors courses. 

The classes would be filled with people I barely knew. I’d have to make new friends and get along with everyone and work together on projects with them. _What if they think I’m lame?_ My hands began sweating, creating wrinkles in the paper my eyes were so closely fixated upon. Then, there it was again. My stomach began doing somersaults around my body and my mind grew fuzzy. Suddenly, I was dizzy and confused. I could see, but I wasn’t registering what was happening. I knew that Izumi had held the door open for me, and I had taken a step to go through, but somehow that caused immense laughter to erupt. 

Suddenly I realized the worst possible thing had happened, and I’d managed to embarrass myself in front of the entire school before the first bell rang. The next thing I knew I was kicked in the head followed by an unconcerned, “Oh, I’m sorry. I thought you were the door mat. Guess it doesn’t matter now though. Seems that you’ve taken its place.” 

In an instant I jolted up, only to be sized up two times over by a tall blonde glasses-character and his evil, snickering sidekick.

The short-haired blond sneered with absolutely no emotion except satisfaction across his face, “What are you going to do, Shrimpy? Cut me with your safety scissors?” 

Never was I one to over-react. I don’t care what people say; I never over-react. Needless to say, I responded appropriately by rearing back my arm and preparing to punch him in his tiny dick; however, my punch was caught by Izumi who gave me a glare. _Seriously? Izumi you are worse than my mother._ I rolled my eyes and let my hand fall to my side as I dusted myself off, “I won’t fight you now.”

The giant asshole gave a dry laugh, “You couldn’t fight me if you trie--”

“Oi,” a voice interrupted him, “Glasses guy, making a show out of others who are weaker than you only shows your absolute insecurity. I advise you to hurry up and get lost before you make an even bigger ass of yourself than you already have. That goes for your silent puppet of a friend, too.”

My eyes caught sight of a guy with raven-black hair that fell slightly into his stormy eyes. He was several inches taller than me--not that it was a new sensation--and crossed his arms over his chest. His t-shirt was charcoal gray with orange sleeves and wasn’t tucked into his worn jeans. He glared as if challenging the two until the tall one shrugged and left towards his class, followed closely by his silent companion.

 _This guy! This cool guy is standing up for me! He has to be my guardian angel!_ An appreciative smile swept over my face, but before I could speak, he turned his glare to me.

“Look, dumbass, if you think that you can get by in high school by making a complete idiot of yourself, have at it. I’ve seen all kinds of people, but you are by far the most pathetic. If you want to survive with the big dogs, you’ve gotta’ bite like them.” Once finished, he quickly turned on his heels and stormed off.

Nevermind. I did not like that guy. No matter who he was or what he did or what car he drove or what classes he had, I did not like him. Dick. I shoved my hands in my pockets and ignored the calls from Izumi behind me. _I’ll show you who is strong._ Who does he think he is? Calling me a dumbass. He’s the dumbass! Before I realized it, I had stormed right into my homeroom class and ended up bumping into the teacher.

At first she looked at me like I was an idiot; I had made her papers spread across the floor, but then her face softened, “Oh, I’m sorry honey. Are you here looking for your sibling? Where do you go to school?”

That was it. I hated high school. Drawing in a long calming breath, I sighed, “Miss, I’m in your homeroom, and I’d appreciate it if I could simply grab a seat? I apologize about the papers, but it’s been a rough morning.”

Not much was said after that. I didn’t wait for her approval. I didn’t wait for her to assign seats. I didn’t wait to see who was sitting on either side of me, but I wish I would have. Instead I put my head down and silently told myself that I hadn’t screwed up. It wasn’t like everyone had saw, and even if they did, hopefully they’d focus on the confrontation between Glasses and ‘Grr Face’ and ignore my blunder.

The door closed shut and the loud commotion of the room that I hadn’t taken notice of suddenly fell to silence as the teacher began to speak, “Listen up. Pay attention. Each morning you report here for twenty-minutes for morning announcements, so I don’t have any incentive of assigning you seats, so for the rest of the year, you’ll sit where you are now.” 

Oh, whatever deity before me, please let me have sat somewhere nice. Beside people who are either going to ignore me or help me. Please let them be good people. Please. Please. Please.  
Slowly, hesitantly I raised my head up ready to meet Lucifer on both sides of me, but to my first great surprise, the seat to my left was vacant.The seat on my right was taken by a disinterested-looking character who was playing some handheld game not giving any attention to anything else. This is my lucky break! 

I peered over at the game he was playing and recognized it to be one of the Super Mario games that was released a few years ago. Before speaking I studied him. His black roots were showing, but they blended well with the rest of his blonde hair. His eyes were slits of amber. He reminded me of a cat, but not one of those fluffy house cats, the kind that runs the alleyways and hisses if you get too close. 

"Do you...need something?" He questioned dully as he continued to focus on his game, expertly pressing the buttons with a quick precision.

Crap. I was noticed! "No, not really. I just noticed that I have the same game. I like to play it when I get home sometimes, you know? It kind of relieves stress, but then again if you fail a level you just want to take it and throw it across the room; you know that feeling too, right?" I had finally managed to immerse myself in conversation with a stranger, or so I thought.

"Well...not really." He blinked and shoved the console back into the pocket of his pants. At first, I thought he would say more; instead, he ended up twirling his thumbs in his lap.

I swallowed. He already thinks I'm weird. Oh God. "Well...I'm Shoyou Hinata! It's my first day of high school. I must admit that I wasn't exactly ready for all of these tall giants to be roaming the school, but it's not that bad I guess." 

He paused and made a face faintly showing that he was pondering something, "Shoyou...Hinata.... You're the doormat from earlier, right?"

I'll never live this down, will I? As my embarrassment suddenly took hold, I rubbed the back of my head before speaking, "Well yeah...but...it was all an accident! It's not like I wanted to be the doormat or anything. I mean who does that? I was jus--"

"I'm Kenma Kozume, a junior." He said quietly without anything else to say.

He's a junior? I started analyzing my neighbor. His skinny, lithe form was small in size compared to most of the people that walked the halls, but he was still bigger than me, and that was no fair. I watch him as he stood up and gathered his things. He moved without purpose, seemingly relying on instinct alone. He really was a cat, wasn't he?

"Shoyou? Hey...the bell rang, it's time for you to find your first period..." he uttered as he slid his red backpack over his shoulder and continued out of the door.

While sitting there and contemplating on my unfortunate height, I had completely forgotten that I had no idea where any of my classes were...or what they were for that matter. I pulled out my schedule and then began the long journey that would soon become my daily, cringe-worthy routine.

The first four classes passed quickly, and I realized that I probably could have taken honors classes after looking at the course overviews. Before lunch, I managed to get English, Biology, Algebra, and History over with. The rest of the day consisted of Lunch/Study Hall, Physical Ed, and some Home Economics and Culinary class. Culinary was food right, so I'm basically getting a grade to eat, what more could you ask for?

Lunch went by way too fast. Kenma invited me to sit with him where I met his boisterous squad, and for the first time that day my short-lived career as a welcome mat hadn't been brought up. My next class was P.E., and I'd always been pretty decent when it came to athletics, so naturally I was looking forward to it. That was until Glasses, whose name I found out was actually Tsukishima, was also in that class. To make it worse, we wouldn't be playing any sports until the next month because the coach was on vacation still, so I was stuck doing worksheets of the musculoskeletal system for nearly an hour. 

The next class brought more information I was unaware of prior to signing up for it: Culinary did not mean you would eat food, but instead learn how to make it, and computers make mistakes too I learned. According to the teacher, the two classes used to be separate until the classes kept getting smaller, so now both Home Economics and Culinary were combined. That was fine by me, but...the computer glitched and the entire class was full of guys, and apparently there was a family planning lesson. The teacher said we'd address it later when the time came. I took the seat next to the guy in the peachy button-up I saw earlier; he seemed friendly enough; plus, he didn't witness my fall.

As I set my backpack down by the foot of the table, I gave a friendly smile, "Hi."

He looked up from his notebook which he seemed to be drawing in. A friendly smile graced his face, "Hey. You're the sophomore who got caught up in a brutal fight this morning, right?"

Shocked and slightly embarrassed that even the seniors knew about the incident, I nodded, "I guess? But it wasn't exactly a fight. It all happened by accident and then the two others joined in. It wasn't anything special."

"Is that so? Well, whether you are a thug or a golden child, I hope we can get along. I'm Koushi Sugawara, but most people call me Suga." He turned to put his notebook back into his backpack before looking at me half-expectantly.

"Suga, huh? Well, I'm Shoyou Hinata, but most people call me Hinata...or now, "the guy who got in a fight the second he stepped, or tripped more so into high school." I shook his hand as more people spilled into the classroom before the bell. 

A few moments passed before either of us spoke another word, but then Suga asked curiously, "So, besides me, how many people do you know in this class?"

Observantly, I looked around the classroom taking note that Kuroo was in this class, currently getting asked to remove his feet from the table. There was this guy in my English class that butted heads with me when the teacher said we'd play a game, but it wasn't a bad kind of opposition. His name was Inuoka. Nobody else seemed familiar enough to say I knew them, so I shrugged, "I know two of them. The guy in the black tee and red athletic pants is a senior named Kuroo, and the guy with the weird-colored hair and overly-positive attitude over there is Inuoka." 

Suga nodded and pointed with his pencil to a table where two people sat, "The shorty with the wild hair and leather jacket is a force to be reckoned with. His name is Yuu Nishinoya. The man-boy beside Noya with the long pulled-back hair is Asahi Azumane... Asahi or sometimes wimp; despite his occasional moments, Asahi is a hopeless romantic child stuck in a thirty-year-old's body." Suga pointed his pencil at the table in the far left, "The guy sitting there, we call him Tanaka. He's a fiery guy, so don't get on his bad side. You'll have a bad time." 

Suga and I continued to talk about ourselves as long as the teacher wasn't saying anything important. His aura was the exact thing I needed at the end of a long day, and despite my cooking skills being limited to instant ramen and my sewing skills were a completely different story, I had a new hope in the form of a well-dressed, benevolent senior. 

 

The school day drew to a close rather quickly, and at the sound of the bell I said my goodbyes and thank yous to Suga before dashing out to meet Izumi and Koji. 

"So, I signed up for both P.E and Physical Tra--" Koji was interrupted by Izumi once I ran up.

"Hey! Hinata! How are your classes?" Izumi smiled, obviously content with the day's progression. 

"Well, you know it wa--Wait! The car! That Camaro! I can see who drives it!" With no further preamble, I pushed through the crowd that flooded toward the door and dashed out to the parking lot looking to see if I could find it, but the slot where it had been parked was already vacant and there was no sign of it being anywhere nearby. As the frustration built up, I frowned and sighed before sitting in the grass. Footsteps approached me from behind indicating that Koji and Izumi had already caught up. 

"You always run off without thinking or asking, " Koji sighed, "If you really want to know who driv--"

"Hey! It's Suga!" I jumped up and my head connected with Koji's jaw, knocking him backwards, but I was unaware. I was what they called thick-skulled...or was it numb-skulled? 

Suga turned around and waved with a slight smile, and I took the opportunity to run over and join him with the guy known as Asahi along with the short dark-haired guy from that morning. I realized a bit too late that I wasn't the type to typically run and join a group conversation...especially with people I had just met. 

"Asahi, Daichi, this is Hinata. He's the sophomore who started the fight that's been the topic all across the school." Suga smiled and leaned against the black Ford Thunderbird that he apparently drove.

So...Daichi is the short-haired guy's name. "I-It's a pleasure to meet y-you!" I said a bit too quick and nervous.

Daichi let out a hearty laugh before patting me on the back, "Don't be so nervous. We may be seniors, but I assure you that we've already accepted our human sacrifice for the year." His words made the other seniors laugh, but even though I know they were a joke, I suddenly got more nervous.

"Hey! Hinata!" I heard Izumi shout my name from across the parking lot full of cars that were trying to pull out, "Koji said he's leaving! If you don't want to walk you better hurry over here."

No way am I walking fifteen miles home! "Ah! Sorry for uh...I gotta leave!" It was definitely the most awkward thing I had said all day, but I wasn't particularly concerned. They didn't seem like the type of people who'd hold it against me. 

As Koji pulled out of the parking lot, Suga watched after the car and sighed with a thoughtful look on his face. 

Daichi took notice of Suga's pondering expression before smirking, "You're thinking of inviting the small one aren't you, Suga? You've got that ‘I'm thinking intensely’ look smeared across your face." 

Asahi looked at Daichi with slight concern, "But isn't he a little short? And kind of...well...sporadic? Would he even sit still long enough to learn the rules?"

Suga turned around, asserting himself with both hands on his hips, "Sometimes, Asahi, you don't have to teach someone how to do something. It comes completely natural to them. I'm getting that kind of aura from that little guy. It's a complete gamble, and I'm not saying that if we did ask him to come along he would. I'm just saying I've got a gut feeling about him. But as for now, we have Kageyama who's probably already there, so let's go see what this other sophomore has to offer. Right?" Suga opened the driver's door and slid into the seat with a content smile on his face before starting the car. "Let's go play some volleyball."


	2. Sandpits and Roadtrips

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A huge thank you to my primary beta and cousin, Liv. Without her, this fic would be nonexistent. 
> 
> This chapter is a long one, well for me at least, but it leads up to one of our main plot lines. 
> 
> Thank you so much for you all's support, and as always I appreciate the feedback.
> 
> Enjoy.

High school was different than I first expected; it was even different than my first impression the previous Monday. Surprisingly enough, the rumor about me starting a fight with two new sophomores had long met its grave in which I gladly dug, and nobody seemed to remember my small blunder--with the exception of Tsukishima, Koji, and Izumi. So far, everything seemed fine; homework this week was simply to get paperwork signed off on and return it as soon as possible, so not any real studying was required. 

At first, on a more personal opinion, I expected the different social cliques to exclude anyone but their own kind; however, I found myself hanging around several different groups without having to go through an overly-complicated, yet simple-minded initiation ritual. Kenma seemed to be the same as me when it came down to befriended a variety of people, and I properly thank him for giving me an overview of everyone he knew and telling me what set everyone off so that I knew to avoid it. Among my socializing, I found myself befriending several upperclassmen; Sugawara, Daichi, and Asahi were all seniors who I was fond of casually hanging around while waiting for Koji and Izumi after school. 

Sugawara, or Suga as he was more commonly called, was a casual open-minded spirit who often found himself caught in other people's mishaps. Always wearing a grin, Suga was the one person I'd found myself growing extremely fond of, but then again, it seemed anyone who knew him was drawn in by his benevolent and light-hearted attitude. 

Daichi, Suga's close friend, was a hearty kind of guy. He was quite selective in things that caught his interest, but if his heart was set, his soul would pour into it. He was naturally cool, but commanding; his composure was that of a natural leader, and without any immediate reason, I found myself respecting him and his advice.

Asahi was another story. While incredulously tall and overly mature, Asahi appeared to be a strong level-headed guy; In reality, Asahi was a small boy trapped in a large man's body. He was overly compassionate and worrisome, and I'd be lying if I said his personality didn't make me laugh once or twice. I never expected a guy his size to shed a tear at the sight of a dead bird on the parking lot, but not even he would deny his sorrow on the third day of school. If I heard correctly as I ran off to Koji's vehicle, he was trying to convince Suga and Daichi to help him hold a small funeral service. 

Ennoshita, who was on the service committee, was a junior who had the locker beside mine. He appeared to be the calm and collected average guy who had accidentally taken one too many college-preparatory courses which lead to him asking if he could store his Biology textbook in my locker. In between classes we talked about a few things, but nothing overly personal. Revealing your life story to a person who simply kept a book in your locker seemed a tad bit overkill, but that was and is my own opinion.

I meandered around with every kind of person there was in the high school by the middle of the week, but I was slightly shocked that I never once saw the raven-haired guy around. Despite his condescending words and haughty attitude, he had helped me out of a situation that I probably wouldn't have gotten out of peacefully, and I would've liked to at least thank him. 

None of that really mattered though; it was the final stretch of the first week of school. I had successfully made it an entire week without regretting anything other than my small slip-up, and I seemed to be making a name for myself as instructed on the first day. Today had started off as a good day. Koji was at my house early in the morning, and Izumi had bought doughnuts--an instant mood booster. We arrived at school thirty minutes before the first bell and got a parking spot close to the front entrance; I also managed to be the first one in my homeroom, impressing Kenma nonetheless.

However, it was not the first half of Friday that piqued my interest.

The bell rang dismissing us from our lunch period and threatening to ring again if we didn't hurry to our next class. I waved briskly to Kuroo and Kenma who had started to argue over God knows what before speeding to my locker to exchange textbooks for notepads. As I pulled on the latch and the door opened, a small piece of paper fell to the ground. Carefully, I stared at it. _Is this a...love letter?_ Warily, I looked around to see if anyone else was looking before I bent down and swiped it up off of the tile. It was a simple piece of notebook paper torn in what appeared to be a careless haste, and while I'd normally throw it away without a care, I unfolded it curiously and examined its content.

 

 _Hey Hinata! This is from Suga. Meet me at my car after the last bell. Not like that wasn't your plan anyway, but Daichi, Asahi, and I have something you might want to know about. I'd like to tell you in person, but I feel that interrupting the class is something we shouldn't make habit of. Plus, we are on opposite sides of the school for most of the day. Now, hurry and get to class. We'll see you later!_  
_-Koushi Sugawara (The Pretty Rad Mom)_

 

The nickname was in a different handwriting than Suga's flowing print, and looked more like it was scribbled on the note last minute. _I wonder what this is about? Have I done something to offend them?_ Slowly, I felt the anxiety build on the inside tempting me to run to the bathroom, but I suppressed it with rationality. The note was from Suga. If they wanted me to be scared they would've left a more threatening letter, probably signed by Daichi or their punk friend named Tanaka. Letting out a sigh, I shoved the note inside of the pocket of my jeans and carried on to the gym where once again I ended up sprawled on the floor filling out the same worksheet for the fifth time that week, or technically filling it out as fast as possible and then watching as the slow seconds on the clock ticked by. 

I was ready to hurry into my Home Economic class and slam Suga with a million and one questions, and when the bell rang I was the first person out of the gym and darting as quick as possible to my classroom where Suga was just now taking his seat with a small grin on his face. As I approached him, anticipation radiating off of me in poisonous levels, he spoke in an ‘I was expecting this’ kind of tone, "Hinata, I said after class. You have to wait, alright?"

"But Suga! You can't just do that to me!" I whined as I sat down next to him, my smile fading into a small frown. I hadn't expected Suga to turn me down, and it was an unpleasant feeling. With my arms crossed, I shot him a glare as he settled in his chair.

Giving a careless, light laugh Suga waved me off. "In fact, I just did, Hinata. You can glare all you want, but I'm just as stubborn as the other seniors. Plus, unlike you, I'd rather think about things before just blurting them out for the world to know. Now, if you wouldn't mind, please quiet down."

Seeing no point in continuing my questioning, I sat quietly in my seat and listened to the teacher preach on some topic that I could careless about--though I'd probably later regret not listening. I impatiently glanced at the clock. _Thirty more minutes. Just thirty more minutes. I can make it._ Those thirty remaining minutes passed like years, but when the bell rang I was once again the first one out of the door making a direct route to the parking lot. 

"Hey, Hinata. You're--" 

I registered Izumi's voice as I darted through the hallway, but nothing more was on my mind other than finding out what the note was about. The crowd was relentless and before I could squeeze my way through the door, a hand firmly grasped my shoulder causing me to flinch.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you, Hinata," A gentle, low voice spoke from behind me.

I tilted my head backwards to see my pursuer was none other than Asahi whom had taken me by complete surprise which I quickly recovered from. "Oh, hey, Asahi. Do you know about the strange note that was left in my locker? Or why Suga wants me to meet him and you all at his car?"

Asahi smile and gave a hearty laugh, "Of course I do, but I'm in no obligation to tell you. Besides if I tell you before you even make it to the car that takes away some of the fun for us seniors and makes us seem pretty transparent and blatant."

I sighed with annoyance at his response and puffed my cheeks. _Dumb seniors trying to be cool and pretending they are cool and trying to get me worked up. It's probably a dumb prank and they think I'm stupid or something._ I shoved my fists into my jeans and scowled the best I possibly could as I followed Asahi to Suga's car. We were the first ones to make it to the beautiful onyx Thunderbird giving me time to look it over in appreciation for well-designed cars. The person who parked beside Suga that morning made his way to the red chevy truck as he shoved a cigarette into his mouth. He offered a wave to Asahi who was sitting on the hood, but only shot me a glare. Luckily, he appeared to be nobody of importance. 

Soon after the stranger's departure, Suga appeared in his white button down shirt and jeans with sunglasses perched proudly upon his head. Daichi followed in his simple blue polo and khaki pants with white chucks that were slowly, but surely collecting dirt. 

Shifting my weight anxiously from one foot to the next as I watched them finally make it to the car, I allowed myself to blurt out, "So can I know now? Or is this all a prank?"

As a grin came across all three of their faces and they turned to look at each other, a simultaneous burst of laughter cracked in the air momentarily. At first, I thought they'd never regain composure, but as Suga leaned on the hood of the T-bird he cleared his throat and motioned to Daichi, "You're the one in charge."

Daichi gave a brief cough before shrugging, "Well, it was your idea, Suga. I think you should be th--"

For the first time, I saw Suga glare as he asserted, "Daichi."

"Right," before he began Daichi unbuttoned the top of his polo, "Hinata, have you ever played any sports at all?"

Thinking back to my childhood, the extent of sports that I played were all in my elementary and junior high school gym classes. I'd never been on a true team and competed for an award, nor did I ever consider it. Every sport that I had been introduced too failed to stand out to me, and while I did my best to play them, I never found any passion provoking me to continue on. Therefore, I shrugged after pulling off my jacket and throwing it over my arm and answered disinterestedly, "No. Not really. I've never really found anything to be passionate about in them. I mean, I've played about as much as the next guy. You know, in elementary. But I've never played on a team."

I noticed Asahi and Suga glance at each other. His eyebrow raised, Asahi appeared to contemplating my answer, but Suga gave him his infamous “don’t worry” hand wave. 

With a slightly more enthused voice, Daichi questioned, “Have you ever heard of volleyball?”

Scratching my head I began to mull through my jumbled thoughts. _Volleyball? Is that the one with rackets? Wait, no that’s badminton...or is it tennis? Volleyball…? Volleyball._ I straightened up and suddenly shot back a question of my own, “Hey! Isn’t that the sport that the beach bums in California play? The one where you’re just hitting the ball and everyone runs around on sand and laughs, and then the guy takes the girl on the losing team to get ice cream, but it turns out that she had a boyfriend an--”

With a soft smile, Daichi interrupted me seeming slightly annoyed, “Well...yes, that’s the sport, but I don’t know where the whole romance aspect comes into play. Anyway, Suga, Asahi, and I picked up the idea of the sport when we first entered high school, but unfortunately the school declined our petition for a volleyball team. We let the idea drop for a while until one night as we were coming home, taking the back roads so we could go over the speed limit, we found this area where sand had been dumped. The field was supposed to be for some recreational project that was terminated due to lack of available funds and sponsors. For whatever reason there was a pile of sand, and week by week we’d work to spread it out. Eventually, I bought a ball; Suga bought the net; Asahi brought two wooden supports, and we made our own court. At first, we thought our problems were solved, but then when we finally decided to play we realized two things: We did not have six people nor did we know the rules."

Asahi picked up where Daichi left off not leaving a second of silence between them, "So we decided to play it based on the basics that we did know and began to ask people to give it a try. What began as three simple friends grew into a large family of sorts. People that you wouldn't think would be interested end up loving the sport, and the best part is that we play however we feel. There aren't any rigid rules that we all enfore because it's not an official team nor would we want it to be. It's our own bootleg of volleyball."

Suga continued from there as he left his perch against his vehicle and approached me with an excited and determined grin, "We have a lot of raw talent and a long ways to go, but recently another group has picked up the sport, or so we've heard, and if a friendly competition ever came our way, we want to be sure to not look like fools. Besides, our gang sticks together and we have movie nights at the drive-in. Now, get in the car, we have to book it or we'll be late." The last sentence was directed more so at Asahi and Daichi that me, and he followed his statement by opening the door gesturing me into the car.

I gave a nervous laugh, "Well, it sounds cool, but I can't let Koji be waiting for me when I have found a ride with you guys now can I? I guess I'll have to leave volleyball for another day, oops!" I turned to walk to where Koji had parked only to be called out to by Daichi.

"Oops, well we told Koji that you had plans to ride with us, and we'd take you home, but if you just don't want to join. We don't need bunks like you." Unfortunately, Daichi had struck a chord with my pride; a chord I did not like to be played. 

"Oh yeah?" I turned and raised an eyebrow before scrambling into the backseat, "This bunk will ride along just to see how lame your dumb volleyball group is!" I huffed as I crossed my arms and glared holes into the passenger seat completely missing the exchange of high fives outside of the car before they all settled in. 

Before I knew it, my surroundings had changed from the school parking lot to the outskirts of downtown, a place I rarely got to go unless with friends who rarely had the extra money to spend at their own discretion. Observantly, I watched as buildings began to dot the side of the road, and as skaters swerved to avoid pedestrians; however, my thoughts on the view had no time to form before Suga was speaking.

"Asahi, Daichi, Hinata, I've to stop at this store to grab a water and call my mother to tell her where I'll be. We aren't too far out, so we'll be there shortly. Noya and Tanaka are probably there already, so I'll try to hurry. You guys want anything?"

Before Asahi or I could answer, Daichi grinned and urged Suga to hurry, "Grab some other waters. You might want to get a few; I doubt Noya remembered a drink, and he's the really competitive one. Now, make it snappy. We have a noob in the backseat whose precious time you're wasting."

With that, Suga shut the door quickly and darted inside, wallet in hand. That didn't stop Daichi's straightforward all-around good-attitude to fade because he quickly turned around and looked at me before mentioning, "Sorry that you have to wait on us, but while we are here, I might as well warn you of our newer members."

I looked up at Daichi with a sudden interest. For whatever reason, I'd never considered anyone else my age being invited to join their group, but I was curious as to who. "Why do you have to 'warn' me?" I raised a slight eyebrow. It's not like they could be professional players that transferred from elsewhere, right? ...right?

"Well, the easiest to get along with is rather quiet. We don't know much about his personal life, and his athletic ability is far from the basic standard, but he's a hardworker and he will become a very good player with time. Perhaps the only one who knows much of anything about him is our tallest newbie. He's also very quiet, but he's very sarcastic with a tongue like a knife. Try to get along with him, and don't fight because not only is he tall, but smart. If that wasn't bad enough, we have another player who seems to be a loner. He's not much for talking or communicating with others at all, but he took to our game like a fish in water. His moves and talent is basically perfect by our standards, but he's not much of a people person, so we have no idea if he'll stay or go. Whatever you do, don't tick him off. Just try your best to get along with everyone you can, alright, Hinata?" Daichi finally sighed once he noticed Suga returning to the car with multiple bottles of water clutched within his arms, and before I knew it we were once again headed to our rendezvous point.

_So their game is basically hitting a ball around to other people, but the new people aren't working together right? Is a game like that even possible? If you can't work together, no matter what situation, you can't survive, so...why would they ask people to join if they would cause problems? Wow...seniors are weird._

The car slowed to a stop in a gravel plot already occupied by two other cars branching off from the side of the road, and we all climbed out one by one from Suga's vehicle. I stretched my limbs and popped my back before looking around to see exactly where we were. From where I was standing on the right side of the car, to the east, you could see the faint outline of downtown. To the west, the road that we took to get here ran as far as the eye could see only to be cut off by a hill that rose in the distance and housing residencies resting to either side of it. The north and south were almost identical except the south lead to a bluff overlooking a small neighborhood, according to Asahi that is, and the north which seemed to be a large clear field with a few groups of trees here and there is where their makeshift court was. I spun around slowly taking in the view that was an all too unfamiliar, yet surprisingly comforting sight to me. There wasn't any sound of the typical city bustle nor the unpleasant look of the poor areas, but instead the land was simply undisturbed, and for one reason or another, I appreciated that.

"Hey! Hinata! Court is this way, so keep up or you'll end up having to stay by the road while we go and play!" Suga called cheerfully to me as he and the other two were walking toward what was supposedly the court. Hastily, I ran to catch up with them noticing how they all carried bags which I assumed to be filled with clothes. Daichi tossed up an oddly colored ball as he walked, and we all fell into a comfortable pace. I kind of feel small around all of these upperclassmen... Quietly, I let out a sigh and hoped that I wasn't going to utterly fail at whatever crazy game they would throw me into--which was more likely than not.

"Hey! Tanaka, look! They brought fresh meat!" I heard someone shout from under a large shade tree. Soon, I could make out the figures of seven different people, and when I got closer I was shocked that I knew--or at least knew of--these people. 

Kenma sat, uninterested in who had just arrived, playing another handheld game underneath the tree as he leaned against its trunk. Glancing up, he noticed me and I gave an enthusiastic wave to which he responded, "Oh...hey, Hinata." Not long after, he was one again immersed in his game.

Kuroo, who was changing on the other side of the tree had yet to notice me, and I wouldn't have known he was here if he hadn't called out, "Hey! Looks like you actually brought the little guy. I'm impressed. Maybe he will give Nishinoya a run for his money as...what was it? Libero? Yeah, libero."

I felt a strong grip on my shoulder before I was spun around to face another kind of person, a person I recognized, but did not know. "Hey, listen little guy. I'm the libero around here, and if you think that you're just going to waltz up in here and kick me to the curb, you'd be wrong. I'll fight tooth and nail for the position that I've worked for, and I've only gotten here through practice--something that you obviously lack." He was a short guy, like me. His hair was slightly greased back, but then erupted in a chaos of spikes. A portion of what I guess was his bangs was bleached blonde and hung perfectly center of his forehead which was covered by a black bandanna he was using as a headband. His eyes were an almond brown, but sparked solely with competition as he sized me up, but perhaps what shocked me most wasn't his demeanor.

"Hey!" I suddenly announced excitedly and loudly drawing the attention of everyone who was around, "You! You're actually shorter than me! I never thought that I'd ever find a guy smaller than me in high school! Aren't you a junior too?" 

He scowled before giving me a shove, "Watch it, bunk. I might be short, but I can still take you on."

I watched him for a few moments before deducing that he wouldn't start a fight here--or well at least I hoped when I spoke, "This bunk can kick your ass. Upperclassman or not. Don't underestimate me."

I half expected to get punched in the face; the other half I expected to get killed, but nothing prepared me for the large grin that swept over the short junior's face before he patted me firmly on the back. "Hey, what's your name? I like you."

I swallowed, taken aback at his display of gratitude...or respect...whatever this was. "I'm Shoyou Hinata, but I'm called Hinata most of the time. They say it suits me better." I gave a shrug before looked back at him.

He placed his hand on my shoulder, "Sorry for the rude introduction, but I thought for a moment you were thinking you could try to take away my pride, and nobody does that. Right, Tanaka?"

The guy that Suga had pointed out to me in my Home Economics class--the guy with the shaven head--gave a smirk before he replied, "Oh, hell no."

"Well, anyway. I'm Yuu Nishinoya, or simply Noya, and even though I'm shorter than anyone else here, I'm one of the strongest. Guys like you and me have to work hard at this game, and while I know that we aren't really winning anything or playing a serious match that'll decide our fate like those surfers in Cali do, something about losing pisses me off. So if you decide to stick around, do not let anyone underestimate you, got it?" He gave me a challenging, but inspiring smirk before he patted my back and went to strip off his band tee and leather jacket to change into shorts.

"Oh look, it's the orange-haired klutz. How convenient. Daichi, I thought you said you wanted the team to be good. Not utterly horrid," an all too familiar voice sneered from behind me.

I already knew who it was before I turned around, but I did so anyway only to find that arrogant bastard Tsukishima looming over me, "If he wanted the team to be good, he wouldn't have invited you." My decent day had all of a sudden hit rock bottom, and so had my attitude about this insane sport.

Daichi walked over and shoved us apart forcefully before announcing in a stern manner, "Listen, it was the both of you who created your own mess. Now, we won't be fighting here, and you'll have to learn to get along or we'll kick you out which Tanaka will be glad to handle. Now, we are waiting on a few more people. Hurry and get changed rather than standing around arguing about your worthless dick sizes."

Leaving one last glare to Tsukishima, I whipped around just in time to hear Noya let out a sigh of admiration, "Damn. I want his car more than I want a relationship."

Tanaka gave a dry laugh, "Wow, Noya. That's saying something."

I followed Tanaka's and Noya's gaze to see an all too familiar car slide up next to Suga's Thunderbird. That emerald-green Camaro eased into a stop and I felt jealousy and excitement form in the pit of my stomach. I wouldn't lie, I was completely jealous of his car especially because it looked brand new, but more importantly, I would finally get to see who owned it. After forgetting about ever figuring out the mystery myself, I had let the Camaro fall into my mental trash heap, but now, it was as if alien life forms would be confirmed. I would witness the unfathomable--and not to mention make this guy my best friend.

Everyone else seemed to go on about their business, but I waited. I waited for that shiny door to open and for the lucky driver to step out. I waited to see just who had managed to get the entire school to stop and grovel at his feet. Then, he stepped out and rendered me speechless.

_Oh god no_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who? ^^


	3. Unlikely Chances

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another slow build chapter, but before you build the castle you must lay a foundation, right? I promise we'll have some fun in the next chapter!
> 
> I thank everyone who has worked to make this fic happen, especially my betas! My readers are the absolute best and I love all of the positive feedback I've been getting. If anyone has a scene or suggestion for this fic, drop it in my inbox on tumblr (kaneki-kennibal.tumblr.com). As always, enjoy the new chapter and kudos and comments are always appreciated!

_Oh god, no_.

There was no way. A guy like him--cocky, cynical, arrogant, annoying, grumpy--should not be allowed to--no, did not deserve to drive a car that nice. Guys like him were supposed to drive old beaters so you could key their car and not feel bad. No, this was most certainly not fair, and I most certainly did not like it or anything else. I was rendered speechless for a few moments before I was able to make a sentence out of the running confusion that was blending in my rampant mind.

"What the heck are you doing here?!" I pointed confrontationally at the new arrival as my face jolted into an overly exaggerated scowl. I had expected it to be a group of upperclassmen and maybe some other sophomores, but never would I have imagined that anyone would invite _this_ guy. How was anyone capable of getting him to agree to come out and play a game? 

"I could ask the same question," he answered with a glare at me. His silky, raven hair barely hung over his eyebrows as he pushed his car door closed and locked it before marching straight over to me. Stopping only a few inches away, the guy looked down upon me from above, ticking me off automatically, but I will admit he towered over me, and it was intimidating. Carefully, I inched away from him slowly, but I gave him my most intense glare which he gladly returned.

Before either of us knew it, the senior, Daichi, was inching his way between us with an overly benevolent smile plastered across his visage. He spoke with a wise and concerning tone, "No need to create tension here. It's all simply a game. Hinata, Kageyama is a talented person and if he wants to he's welcome to join our team as are you; however, please get along or we will have to resort to violent measures." His voice shrank to a threatening whisper, "and just look around. We'd have no problem breaking a few of your bones." He gave a bright smile before turning back and jogging over to Sugawara who was motioning for him. 

_Breaking a few bones? Who exactly have I befriended?_ I swallowed hard before I once again felt a threatening glare boring holes through my body. I turned to the dark-haired tall guy apparently called Kageyama and extended my hand in the best possible attempt I could think of to be friendly, "H-hi, I'm Shoyou Hinata. Th-Thanks for the other day." The words were bitter as they left my lips; I felt absolutely nothing but annoyance and jealousy in the presence of this guy.

His cold gaze pierced me like stone as he sneered, but offered no words. Instead, he whipped off his jacket and threw it underneath the tree where Kenma sat. A multitude of articles of clothing had already found their resting place beside him. Suga handed him a white t-shirt and gave a smile which was, as expected, not returned; Kageyama whipped off his dark-colored shirt revealing, but only for a moment, his lithe, sturdy form before concealing it once more with the white tee and running off to help Daichi and Asahi even the sand within the ragged self-built pit in the middle of a shaded field. 

As I turned to find Suga and ask what I could do to help, I was taken aback by a vigourous roar from Tanaka, who was clad only in boxers as he chased Nishinoya who had seemingly stolen the punk-rocker's athletic shorts. 

"Noya! Dammit, give me my shorts! Don't be an asshole!" He growled.

Noya stopped and snickered before launching the shorts square into Tanaka's face and running over to hide behind me. "Hey, Tiny," he greeted once more with an amused laugh.

"It's Hinata," I sighed and watched as Tanaka looked around in stupor for his assailant. 

Noya nodded, "Hinata, right." Once Tanaka headed off in the direction of Daichi, Noya stepped out in front of me and looked me over with a cocked eyebrow, "Hmm. I wonder." Before I could question what crazy idea the sporadic junior was concocting, his hands launched into my bright orange hair.

"H-Hey! What are you doing?" I squawked, taken aback.

"I've got something that'll make you look really cool if you want it," Noya gave a large and enthusiastic, devilish grin. "And no, I'm not pranking you."

I thought about it for a moment before concluding that the worst case scenario was somewhere along the lines of permanently getting underwear glued to my head or possibly losing an ear. Giving a slight shrug, I answered, "I mean, if you want to, but pl--" 

Before I could finish my sentence, Nishinoya was busy tying something around my head as his tongue peeked out from his pale lips. Accomplishment gleamed in his eyes as he gave me a thumbs up and spoke triumphantly, "Now, you almost look as cool as me! Come on! Go look at it!" He grabbed me firmly by the arm before bouncing over to Tanaka's truck and shoving me in front of the mirror. 

A white bandana had been securely wrapped around my head and contrasted against the bright orange of my hair. Small black designs swept across the fabric, and centered with my forehead was the image of a flying crow. While I was skeptical about Nishinoya's idea of cool, I had to admit, I did in fact appreciate the bandana. Reaching up to touch the soft fabric, I saw in the mirror the sudden gleam of adoration in my own eyes. "Noya! This is so cool!" I gawked, "Look at the crows! I look awes--"

"Hey! Shorties, we're stretching. Hurry up so we can play," Kuroo called from where he was currently stretching out his legs beside the court, a teasing grin smeared across his face. His black hair was already starting to droop with tiny beads of sweat due to the rising temperature in the last few hours before sunset. 

It seemed as if everyone had already started stretching leaving Noya and me--well, now just me since Noya had fallen subject to Kuroo's demeaning nickname and ran over to him asserting that he was in fact, "tall in personality"--the only ones not already immersed in the game. Even Kenma had put down his hand-held game and now was stretching his his arms. Feeling awkward being the only person not stretching, I ran up to Suga who was finishing up stretching out his back before pulling one of my legs up to stretch out my thighs. 

"S-so, Suga what exactly are we doing?" I asked realizing that my question was shallow and probably stupid. 

The silvery blonde laughed before giving a grin, "We all have to stretch out before we start practicing and playing. Unlike the school sports team, if one of us is injured, we are the ones left with the bill. You probably know this, but most high school guys can't even afford gas more than once a week, much less a simple hospital bill."

"Ah," I laughed, "I understand." As everyone else finished their stretches, I tried my best to effectively loosen my muscles as quickly as possible; however, I was still the last one to finish. Everyone gathered in the sand for instruction, some wearing shoes, some not. 

"Okay," Daichi spoke with a proud smirk, highlighting his face as his short dark hair blew carelessly in the wind that gently blew through the area, "For today, Kuroo and I are the captains. We'll take turns picking who we want on the team and then begin. The object of the game is to not let the ball fall on your side of the net. You cannot hit the ball more than once in a row, nor can you hold the ball. The best way to explain it is to imagine that the ball is a burning coal that you wish to throw to the other side of the net to get a point, understood?"

Honestly, the game sounded more confusing than geometry to me, but I nodded anyway hoping that once we started I'd figure it out; however, I was not as excited since the teams would be picked one by one. Ever since elementary school, the only sport I had been chosen first for was track, and for some reason, despite my stamina and agility, I often found myself picked last. It had become a shameful ritual that I was all too well accompanied with. _Here we go again_. I sighed as we fell into line, and unfortunately enough I stood beside Kageyama.

"You pick first, Daichi," Kuroo hummed with crossed arms as he leaned against the support beam for the net.

"Well then, I want Hinata."

I looked up slightly confused, "A-are you sure?" 

Daichi gave a hearty laugh, "Well, that is what I said!"

Pride welled up within me. It was a feeling I wasn't used to, but a good feeling nonetheless. I took his side in the soft sand and wiggled my toes around in it with a stupid grin across my face. I'd somehow made a good impression for Daichi to pick me first; there was no way that I could disappoint him now. Even if I sucked, I'd have to at least do my best. _I won't let us lose this!_ My competitive spirit had once again been revived, and I was practically bouncing in place ready to play, ready to hit the ball and score all of the points!

Daichi's voice sounded once again calling Suga over. Curiously, I looked over to see that Kuroo had chosen Kenma; I could have guessed because afterall, they were best friends as were Suga and Daichi.

Kuroo called for Noya who gave a devious smirk, and the pattern repeated. Each captain would choose who he thought best for the team, and I felt pretty comfortable with everyone who had joined us: Asahi, Tanaka, and Yamaguchi. However, my excitement soon came to a sudden halt as Daichi called his next choice.

"Kageyama."

I frowned as bad thoughts made their way into my mind. _How could someone as egotistical as he be able to play with a team well? How is he going to be able to see the ball with his head up his ass? Of all people, why would Daichi pick him?_

"I'd appreciate it if you'd stop glaring at me; it doesn't do anything for your appearance," Kageyama scowled as he walked up and shoved me slightly to the side.

 _This bastard_. I gave a low growl before shoving my hands into my shorts pockets. After the teams were officially set, Daichi turned to us and pulled us into a tight huddle.

"Alright, so Suga, you will be our primary setter. Stay in control, and remember no matter what, don't toss to anyone acting irrationally. Suga, you're also serving first. Don't be nervous, you'll do fine. Hinata, stay in the back left next to me; if you get lost, just hang back. Volleyball isn't a sport played alone."

I nodded in understanding as I drew in a long breath before glancing over to where Kuroo had gathered those on his team. There was no doubt that the witty bean pole was already planning out a strategy to gain the advantage, not to mention he also had the brainiac Kenma sided with him.

Before I could register what was happening, Daichi was shoving me into the back left corner of the pit. Tanaka was in front of me standing with his arms crossed, but obviously ready to hit the ball. To the right of him stood Asahi who rolled his shoulders while keeping his eyes glued to Noya, trying to figure out the best tactic to break the other team's defense. Kageyama was the farthest right in the front line and showed no sign of emotion on his face at all. He was calm and composed, but that didn't stop his intense, dominating aura from shrouding him and causing me to scrunch my nose in displeasure. Yamaguchi stood with Ennoshita outside of the pit, making small talk and studying the teams. To my right, Daichi waved getting my attention before giving a positive thumbs up as Suga tossed the ball into the air and hit it with a satisfying smack.

 _The game has started. The game has started. The game has started, and I don't know what to do! How the hell do you play again?_ I racked my brain as I saw Kuroo receive the ball with ease and send it flying back over the net once more, sending it straight to Daichi.

I ran forward unsure about what to do or what role my position had, but for some reason the sound of the ball resonated in my ears every time someone would receive it. The sound alone managed to amp me up, made me quiver with excitement. 

"Suga, it's all yours! Toss it up," Daichi called to his silver-haired friend as he popped the ball back toward the sky.

Suga smirked as he moved to get underneath the ball, "It's all yours, Asahi!"

The ball only hit Suga's fingertips for a fraction of a second before it flew over to Asahi who leaped and smacked the ball down toward the ground on the other side of the net. Noya dove for the ball, but barely missed by just a few centimeters. 

The play happened so fast and fluidly that I was nearly convinced I had imagined it; if not for the various "good jobs" from my team and curses from the other, I would have certainly not believed it. The way he jumped was so cool, and he smacked down the ball with such ease. It looked thrilling. Extending my hand out, I looked down at my small palm and fingers. _Could I do that?_ I balled my hand up in a fist and lowered myself into a defensive position as Suga went to serve the ball once more.

This time, Suga's aim had been slightly to the left and Tsukishima ended up bouncing it to Kenma who tossed it up to Kuroo. The wild-haired male jumped and slapped the ball down only to have it received by Daichi. The ball popped up and flew in Kageyama's direction. Quickly, he got into a steady position while his eyes never once left the ball.

"The ball is yours, Tanaka!" Asahi called out, almost fearfully. I wasn’t sure why his tone was so unsteady considering that he had previously scored a point in the same situation.

Tanaka charged toward the net at full speed and leaped. 

Kageyama's hands made contact with the ball, but instead of the easy toss that Suga had given, Kageyama's was more like launching a rocket. The ball zoomed to Tanaka's position just as easily as it zoomed past him and hit the grass outside the pit. 

"That was wild!" Tanaka looked in astonishment at Kageyama before looking back at the ball, "How do you even toss that fast?"

Frowning, Kageyama huffed, "Sorry, my bad. It was reckless." The act of apologizing seemed to be, for him, the equivalent of slamming your hand in a car door. Turning away, the dark-haired male let out a sigh and frowned before pacing in a frustrated line. He'd just given the other team a point.

With a laugh, Tanaka slapped Kageyama's back--an action I figured he's get punched or killed for--before shrugging, "It's alright. You're new, but if that toss was slowed down a tad bit, I could make it bite the dust."

"You better not be making a Queen reference, Tanaka," Noya called from the other side of the net where Kenma was setting up to serve. The simple provocation did nothing but make the shaven-headed guy smile with pride before the two of them started to squabble about their favorite music groups. 

_That toss was insanely fast. How...did he do that?_ My eyes were glued to Kageyama as I watched his movements. _It was a fluke, right? He's as new as I am, so he shouldn't be trying anything too daring right off the bat, correct?_ I swallowed as Kenma hit the ball over the net directly to me. Luckily, I was able to mimic Daichi's movements and return the ball to the air where Tanaka attempted to hit it over to Suga, but tripped and instead flung the ball back over to Kageyama. 

"Hey! Kags, cover it!" Tanaka called, "Asahi'll hit it for you!"

"I can't hit a serve like that!" Asahi barked back at Tanaka.

"You will if you're the only one who can spike it at the moment!" Tanaka argued as he brought himself to his feet once more, too late to get into any position to spike. 

The ball was falling fast, but nobody was willing to hit it. I watched as it seemed like the world had been placed in slow motion. A bead of sweat dripped from Kageyama's hair down the side of his head as he looked for someone to toss to, but nobody was there. Nobody was ready.

Call it chance or call it instinct, but for whatever reason, my legs broke out in a sudden charge toward the net. "Kageyama! Toss it here! I can hit it!" It was as if everything and nothing was on my mind all at once, but I registered the sound of the ball against his fingertips as I pushed myself off of the ground. It felt as if gravity was no longer acting, as if I was free from everything holding me down as I drew my right hand back. I registered Kuroo jumping as he tried to push a block, but he wouldn't make it in time. My eyes clenched shut as I slammed my arm forward, finding the solid shape of the ball. Before I knew what had happened, I fell hard onto the sand, scraping the back of my left arm. 

I looked around at my teammates who were simply staring at me with unreadable expressions. Even Kageyama was looking uncharacteristically shocked. Nobody spoke as they exchanged glances and simple gestures. The ball had fallen into the sand on the other side and still rested there. My right hand tingled. _What happened? I hit the ball, right?_

"Daichi, Hinata just hit Kageyama's Flash toss." Asahi turned to look at the captain of our temporary team with a baffled expression.

Daichi stood still before looking over at Suga who simply held his hands up and shook his head. The dark-haired captain seemed just as shocked as everyone else around him.

"How long have you played volleyball?" 

The voice was sharp, but curious coming solely from Kageyama as he made his way over to me. His eyes gleamed with pure curiosity, but also appeared threatening as he grabbed me by the shoulders and pulled me to my feet. Crossing his arms, he shifted his weight to one leg awaiting an answer.

"Uhm...fifteen minutes?" I shrugged and scratched my head before looking up at him.

"Impossible. Have you ever practiced with a sports team before?" He questioned, accusingly.

"No." I shook my head not understanding what he was getting at.

"Then how the hell can you run and jump like that, Dumbass? Any normal person should not have been able to make that play! So how did you?" He grabbed the collar of my shirt in his fist pulling me upwards.

Nervously, I answered, "I-I don't know! I just did it!" _I got the point! Why should it matter how I got it?_

He released me, dissatisfied with my answer, "Whatever. Let's just win this game."

As Kageyama made his way across to his position, Suga approached me and wildly ruffled my hair, "Nice spike, Hinata! You're the first person who has been able to hit Kageyama's psychotic toss successfully. It seems as if you've made a pretty big impression on everyone here. Now, let's keep the momentum up and win this game!"

The rest of the game was a battle for who could score the most points the fastest; however, I did not get to hit Kageyama's supposed "psycho toss" again, in fact, I only scored two more points by accident: once while serving and the other by not hitting the ball, letting it go out. The match concluded twenty-six to twenty-four in our favor. Having both Kuroo and Nishinoya on a team wasn't as fun as I originally predicted because their defense was practically impenetrable, not to mention the giant Tsukishima who proved to be talented at blocking due to them, we had to enter what Daichi called "deuce".

"Hey, Shorty, want a water?" Kuroo called as he dug through a cooler full of ice that held water bottles.

 _Of all nicknames..._ I shrugged and held my hands up, "Sure, toss me one." 

The black-haired overly-tall male launched the water bottle into my hands, and I promptly opened it and choked down half of the bottle. This game that they had said would be fun turned out to be physically exhausting, yet I felt as if I could play another round. We had all plopped down in the grass to cool off as the sun began to set, and Tanaka had turned on the radio in his truck so that we wouldn't simply sit in silence. 

Suga sat up from where he had previously been sprawled out on the ground, "So, sophomores, what'd you think about your first game with us?" The silver-haired senior pulled his knees to his chest and wrapped his arms loosely around his legs in a childish manner as Daichi sat down between him and Asahi.

Tsukishima raised his head up from where he lay beneath the large shade tree, "Surprisingly, it was more challenging than I had expected. I'm shocked that some people can even play it decently."

I knew his jab was directed at me, but for once I couldn't muster up a retort. I still had the game on my mind, especially how it felt to score that point. 

"It is different than other sports they make you play in the gym at school. I actually felt like I was able to play with the team rather than the team playing for me," Yamaguchi smiled happily as he rubbed the back of his head.

 _The ball...hit my hand. I scored the point..._ "I scored that point," I whispered inaudibly to anyone other than myself.

"What was that, Hinata?" Suga looked over in curiosity. 

Surprised, I looked up and met his milk chocolate eyes which were full of expectancy, "Oh. I was just thinking of how it felt to score a point. It happened so fast and felt so cool."

"You sure can jump, can't you, Hinata?" Tanaka's voice hit my ears almost as boisterously as his knuckles hit my head. 

I blushed in embarrassment. It's not like I practiced jumping or something like that. I had simply had that skill since I was young. "I guess," I laughed.

Another hour passed by filled with random conversation and laughter as we talked about anything from Kuroo's hair to Kageyama's intimidating scowl. The blue skies quickly faded into the rich purple and black of night before we even thought of leaving the field. At one point, Nishinoya had started a water fight which quickly made the field an aquatic war zone. However, our fun was brought to an end as the temperature began to drop. Kenma was the first to leave, claiming that he'd catch a cold if he stayed too long, and Kuroo bummed a ride with him. Tsukishima and Yamaguchi were the next to leave followed along by Ennoshita and a few other people who I didn't get too acquainted with. Eventually, it was just Suga, Daichi, Nishinoya, Kageyama, and me who had yet to leave, but we started our way to the make-shift parking lot in unison.

"Hey," Daichi began, "It's almost ten. Suga and I were going to stay at my place for the night. Noya, do you think you could run Hinata home?"

Noya quickly whipped around as if someone had slapped him, "Hell no! You know how I like to drive. Don't go making me responsible for other people's lives, Daichi. You brought him here, take him home." He paused before turning to me with a large grin, "It's nothing personal, Hinata, but I'm not a safe driver at all. I just got my seventh speeding ticket this year!" With that last statement, he hopped in his car and sped off.

 _He says that like it is an accomplishment_. I let out a sigh and looked back to Daichi and Suga who were already hopping in Suga's car. They were the only ones left, right?

Suga smiled, "Well, bye Hinata! Looks like Kageyama will take you home. What a caring person!" His door slammed shut and the car started before he pulled out of the gravel and onto the road.

A dark presence swept the area as I turned around to find Kageyama looming over me with a look that could kill. All of a sudden, I felt sick; I should have known better than to trust those seniors. Of course, they'd be the ones to leave me at death’s doorstep. Swallowing hard, I spoke with a disheartened sigh, "It's okay. I can walk home. I wouldn't want my presence soiling your car." Slowly, I turned and began walking down the gravel drive to the road.

A few minutes passed before I heard a begrudging voice call out to me, "Hey, Dumbass. Get in the car."

I waved without turning around and called back, "It's okay, Kageyama. I can make it home just fine. Don't trouble yourself." Though I sounded indifferent, I really wanted to ride in his car. Forget that, it was practically killing me to refuse the ride; nevertheless, I tucked my hands into my pockets and stepped on the asphalt before I was violently jerked backwards.

"Get in the car. It's dark and unsafe. An idiot like you will end up kidnapped or robbed; you're the perfect prey for an elderly pervert," Kageyama glared at me before taking my shirt collar in his hand and dragging me to the passenger side of his shimmering Camaro. 

I complied with his request all too easily which voided my professional bluff by opening the door as quickly as possible and sliding into the plush black seats. It was like heaven had fallen to earth in a form of a car, and I was ready to worship. The interior was entirely blacked out with the exception of some emerald-colored custom highlights along the dashboard and flooring which I guessed were not factory. A pitch black feather hung from the rearview mirror and caught my interest moments before he slid into the driver's side; I quickly confined my eyes to the view of my lap. Kageyama seemed like the type who'd jump me if I made one wrong move or breathed too loudly. 

He started the car drawing out an illicit purr which made me smirk in admiration. He drove slowly at first, but when he hit the road, we were soon running the seventy mark in a forty-five speed zone; then again, I didn't mind as long as he had control over the wild beast. Despite the pleasure that riding in his car gave me, I was not as capable of enjoying it as much as I expected due to the awkward oppressive silence that had fallen over the both of us--not that I expected him to talk to me in the first place. 

Nonchalantly, I glanced over at him. He’d pushed his hair back on his head in a ruffled mess and the lingering drops of sweat glistened off of his alabaster skin. Blue eyes were glued to the road as his head ever so slightly bobbed to the music which I recognized to be something of Motley Crüe’s. I wasn’t a particular fan of the band, but Koji owned a few of their tapes which tended to be catchy. 

“Quit staring. It’s annoying, Freak,” Kageyama reprimanded me with a cold glance. 

I turned my head back to the right to stare at the scenery as it sped passed as my face grew hot with embarrassment. _I wasn’t staring at you dumbass. Why do you have to be so self-centered?_ Letting out a frustrated sigh, I attempted to make a small conversation. “That toss of yours is pretty fast. How did you learn to do that?”

He gave an arrogant click of his tongue before answering, “I didn’t learn. I just did it, and if it’s so fast why were you able to hit it?” He finished his sentence with an unpleasant look upon his face.

Shrugging, I answered with a suppressed pride, “I just thought I could hit it, so I tried and did. That’s it.”

Kageyama sneered, “Don’t lie like that. Someone as simple-minded as you shouldn’t be able to hit something that fast. You obviously know more about the sport than anyone here. Where’d you play?”

“No where!” I objected and shot him a glare, “Today was my first attempt.”

The raven-haired male shook his head in disbelief, “Impossible.” However, he didn’t mention it anymore, but instead changed the topic, “Where do you live?”

As I studied my surroundings, noting that we had made it into the downtown of the city, I pointed toward the Serve-n-Dine, the most popular diner in the entire county. “You drive past there and take a left. You’ll continue down that road until you reach the subdivision. My house is the second brick one on the right.” After finishing my instructions, I settled down back into the seat and noticed an unnerved look that came across Kageyama’s face, but I remained quiet.

He drove silently, attentively without any other interruptions but continues to look increasingly upset. Slowing as he pulled into the subdivision, he quietly mumbled something inaudible which left me curious. Then, he rolled into my driveway with a displeased scowl and waved me off without any words. 

Slipping out of his car in a confused daze, I turned to see that the living room light was on. Carefully, I closed the door and walked up to my sidewalk before offering up a departing wave to Kageyama. His next actions surprised me as he started the car and pulled it into reverse.

Without looking, he slammed on the gas, slightly spinning out his tires and leaving faint skid marks on my driveway and flew across the road without turning. Startled, I let out a gasp of disbelief before I realized that he had safely maneuvered his speeding car into the driveway across the road. His eyes never left me.

 _What the hell is he doing?_ I furrowed my brows as I watched him step out of the car and shut the door. His challenging stare never wavered as he continued his journey up the sidewalk before backing in the front door and watching me from behind the screen. 

Slowly, but surely realization hit me as hard as a brick to the nose. I had been neighbors with this asshole without even realizing. 

Of everyone, why him? Why me?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The story's official tag is " fic: streetlights ". 
> 
> Prepare for the world's favorite trash can in upcoming chapters!


	4. Two Colors; True Colors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A very long chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! Sorry for not updating in forever. I had to get some stuff figured out.
> 
> In return and thanks, I give you this long ass chapter which I hope you enjoy; I do have to apologize with the basic filler scenes...I got a bit carried away in Kageyama's house...and in Double-Shots.
> 
> Oh well! Huge thank to my lovely go-to beta Liv who is a lifesaver in so many different aspects, and also thanks for the volunteer betas (even though I haven't given you anything to beta yet because Liv always likes to get it first huehue, Sorry!!) 
> 
> Anyway, just be prepared for some build this chapter, and as always feedback is greatly appreciated~

I drew in a long breath as the bell sounded throughout the school building drawing the excruciating Thursday to an official close; Despite knowing that it was approximately half past two in the afternoon, I looked down at my watch and realized that I had absolutely nothing to do for the next two days. Normally, I'd still have one more day to suffer through until the heavenly weekend alighted me on its blessed journey to personal freedom. However, the city's official maintenance men scheduled a visit to check the fire alarms and water lines, and the gracious principal decided to ask the school board to shut down the school. 

"Hey Hinata," Suga yawned as he stood from his seat and flipped his fedora on to his head, "are you coming?"

I turned my head to the silvery-blonde while I slung my black backpack over my right shoulder and rubbed my right eye, "Coming where? Nobody's told me anything?"

Suga gaped at my answer, "Daichi! I found a hermit!"

The short-haired senior lifted his head and called back to his friend while he stuffed his notebook into his satchel, "What do you mean?"

"He doesn't know what tonight is! Or where we are going!" Suga responded as if I had offended him--an act I thought to be impossible.

His outburst caused Kuroo to whip around and walk back into the classroom with a baffled expression, "How does he not know about the place?" I was unsure whether or not if Kuroo's words were a question or an accusation, but his dark eyes scanned me as if I was an alien life form.

"Well--" I attempted to defend myself, but the air was knocked out of me as a sudden weight impacted my back with the force of a freight train.

"Do you live under a rock? What the hell are you living here for if you don't know what tonight is! Everyone who has any common sense will be there! It's absolutely the best thing that has ever happened to this town!" Nishinoya screamed as he shoved me forward, accidentally knocking me into Suga's backpack.

Soon, it seemed as if everyone who knew me dove in like hungry buzzards and devoured my being simply because I didn't know where to go--with the exception of Kenma who just stood at the door holding his keys, uninterested in my time of dying. Tanaka was standing on the table by this point and Noya was doing some weird kind of motion as if her were proposing to an innocent bystander and getting rejected. I managed to make out the words "prettiest girls" from his mouth. Daichi was scolding Kuroo for trying to force his way to "teach me something important", and they were currently bickering over something completely irrational. Suga was going on about food or something with everyone yelling at me at once, I couldn't make out anything clearly, and it was giving me a headache.

My hands slipped into my hair and clenched tight before I yelled, "Guys! Stop it! i cannot understand two words you are saying, and I'd appreciate it a lot if you'd calm down!"

The room grew silent all too quickly before it was broken by a slight chuckle from Kenma who said, "Wow. Shoyou having to ask people to calm down..."

I looked up at the upperclassmen surrounding me before clearing my throat and continuing as peacefully as possible, "Alright. Now that I can hear once more, what are you guys talking about?"

Tanaka answered as he scratched his head, "It's Thursday."

I shrugged while examining the expectant faces that trapped me inside of a circle of people, "And what is Thursday?"

"Wait you don't even know what Th--" Noya started to scream once more, but Suga's hand flew out and covered the younger's mouth.

With a smile, the fashionable male answered me pleasantly, "There's this place on the square across from the theatre called the Double-Shot Diner. It's been around since the 50s or so, and for the past year and a half, every Thursday teens get a free large milkshake."

"They have the best milkshakes in the entire county, and getting them for free is the absolute best," Kuroo commented with a nod.

Tanaka looked at Noya before winking at me, "And they also have the cutest female waitresses."

Suga rolled his eyes at the rocker before he continued, "Anyway, pretty much anyone who lives near town goes, and we just hang out and have a good time. However, I was going to wait to mention this until we got to Double-Shot, but now seems alright too. Asahi, Daichi, and I figured since school is out tomorrow, that we'd go out to the field and have a bonfire."

"A bonfire!" Noya jumped in excitement, "It's been forever since we've had a bonfire! I dig it!"

A chorus of elated agreement filled the room causing the seniors to share the same accomplished look with each other. One after another, we all ended up randomly hugging which broke apart as quickly as it had formed. 

"Hinata! Hurry up! It's almost three, and Koji has practice later. Why the heck are you still in the classroom? You never stay late!" A familiar voice called from the doorway, and I whipped around to see a frantic Izumi. "We have to leave."

"Sorry!" I had forgotten all about going home since I had been attacked by milkshake-loving men. Hurriedly, I forced myself away from the horde and over to the entrance where Izumi sighed and shook his head.

"Hinata!" Suga called to get my attention as I stepped out of the door, "You better be there or your house is getting rolled!"

 _Of course they would_. 

As we walked down the hallway and approached the exit to the parking lot, Izumi turned to me and smiled, "You sure have found some weird friends, Hinata. I'm glad you found somewhere to fit it outside of Koji and me."

"You guys are like my family! I could never replace you two," I assured him, afraid that I had been neglecting my childhood friends.

"No, no. Hinata, I didn't mean it like that. It's just that with Koji's sports and my studies, you were always left alone throughout middle school, and that made us all feel bad. Now, you have people inviting you out and taking you into their cliques. It's good to see you getting along with others," Izumi laughed as he stepped out of the door.

I followed suit and jabbed at him, "It sounds as if you didn't expect me to make any friends, Izumi!"

"Well, with such a persistent personality, I knew some people would pity you enough," he teased.

The rest of our short walk to Koji's car was filled with laughter, shoves, and light punches like we used to do all the time. Izumi opened the passenger door, and I crawled in while trying to avoid kicking Koji in his head.

"Took you long enough, Hinata!" Koji growled playfully as Izumi fastened his seatbelt.

"Stop dissing me, alright? You guys call me slow, but I'm faster than you both. Hush!" I huffed while pretending to be offended.

Koji detected the playfulness in my tone and started the car before taking the road toward my house. I rested my head against the headrest of Izumi's seat and watched the scenery pass by through the window. Trees, grass, houses, buildings, other cars--they were all but a second's decoration under a blue sky. 

The ride to my house seemed faster than usual, but I wasn't one to complain. Izumi and Koji both waved as I scrambled out of the car and up the sidewalk to unlock the door. Shoving the door open, I took a glimpse across the street to see Kageyama's beauty parked alone in the driveway before I shook my head and stepped over the threshold. 

"I'm home!" I called before kicking my Chucks off at the door and tossing my backpack down under the coat rack.

"Shoyou! You are back!" A small voice called happily from the living room along with the faint sound of the television. 

_Natsu's home?_. I shrugged off my over shirt before pacing into the living room to see my younger sister piled up on the couch as she flipped through channels on the television. "Where's mother?"

"Work!" Natsu responded after finding her favorite show, Tom and Jerry, playing on the kids channel. "Also, she bought ice cream for the both of us, but I'm only allowed to have two scoops!" She held up her small fingers with a pout on her face. 

I sighed, "Well, you can talk to her about that." _Though I don't know how she'd know if you had more_. Leaning against the framing, I asked, "Do you need anything?"

She shook her head rejecting the offer, but instead pried further into my plans, "Why?"

“I’m going out with some friends,” I casually answered before marching into the kitchen to delve into the refrigerator looking for nothing in particular. There were a few things in particular that I would have had as a snack on any other day, but I wasn’t overly hungry; besides my mother would scold me if I indulged in too many sweets, so I turned half-heartedly and paced up the creaking stairs to my bedroom. 

It was a simple layout with nothing overly extravagant, minus the colossal mess I had managed to concoct searching for my favorite navy tee earlier before school. Inching away from the pile of clothes I had tossed out, I carved a path over to my bed where some of my favorite band posters were pinned to my wall. Apparently I had left the curtains pulled this morning which had allowed the gracious sun to warm the grey sheets of my bed throughout the hours of the day; needless to say, I flopped down on their generous warmth and absorbed all the heat my body could handle, but I was still bored.

Pushing myself from the bed, that was now only room temperature, I made my way over to my desk against the adjacent wall. The oak wood surface was littered with papers that I should have gotten signed and turned in already--not to mention the mathematics questionnaire that I had yet to glance at, but then again, school was not what I wanted to be thinking about. Finally, I flopped down on a bean bag and looked towards my clock. 

_It's already close to four. I wonder what time they meet? Afterschool right? What if they are already there? Or worse...they might have left me out._ I began to mull through the various situations that could occur and result in my exclusion from the hang out. _What if they kick me out because of it?_ I swallowed hard before jolting up from my spot in the floor and grabbing at the wild strands of hair that poked out everywhere. _If everyone knows about this free milkshake thing, and I don't show up, then the entire school will think I'm a drag! A killjoy! I'll never hear the end of it._

My stomach did cartwheels inside of my body and slowly made me nauseous. Nothing in the entire world would be worse than public humiliation. It was my second biggest fear. Swallowing hard for the second time in minutes, I began to pace my room as I debated whether or not to go on and head for Double -Shot's. 

Hastily, I pulled my navy tee over my head and hoped that it wouldn't pull my hair like it always did--my hopes were crushed in fact when it snagged. Shirtless, I stood scanning my room for appropriate, and somewhat clean, attire to wear out in public. Fortunately enough, a white sleeveless shirt caught my eye beneath my large grey sweatshirt at the foot of my bed, and I quickly drug it from the rubble to evaluate its current state.

Despite a few wrinkles, my Duran Duran top seemed to be completely clean, so I claimed it worthy enough to wear out to the diner and slipped it over my head before swapping my jeans for a pair of shorts. Looking into the mirror as I ran a comb through my hair, I concluded that my appearance was sort of a sporty casual; however it was missing something that I couldn't identify. I tried a watch, but that looked dorky. My reading glasses didn't suit the look nor did my wristwarmers. Fashion wasn't exactly my forte, but a certain piece of fabric caught my eye as I nearly gave up.

The bandana that Nishinoya had given me hung unworn and solemn on a key ring which I never used since I couldn't drive. _Would that work?_

I carefully took the crow-patterned cloth and bound it snugly around my head, ruffling my hair shortly afterwards to create a natural look. The white and black of the bandana matched the shirt and didn't clash with the jean shorts. Not to mention that it made my copper eyes stand out and brought a smile to my face. 

Confirming my outfit as cool as anything else I owned, I pulled the curtains closed, turned off my desk lamp, and leaped out of my door and down the stairs before pulling my Chucks back onto my feet. 

"Shoyou, be careful, alright?" Natsu said as she walked out of the living room and began her own journey up the stairs, pausing only to give me a small smile.

I looked back up at my little sister who was already halfway up the stairs, hopping up them, and spoke lightly, "It's not like I've joined a gang, come on, Natsu. I promise I'll be extremely careful. Oh hey, when Mom gets home, tell her that we're out of ice cream."

"Gotcha, but hey Shoyou?" Natsu called from the second floor as she skipped to her room.

I stood up and dusted myself off like an ancient relic before answering unconcerned, "Yeah?"

"How are you going to town since you can't drive?"

I blinked.

The town square was at least ten miles away from my house. There was absolutely no way I could walk all the way there nor could I call anyone since I didn't know their digits. _Shit. I knew there would be some flaw. I knew I should have gotten my license by now!_ Koji wouldn't have time to run me into town and make it back to the school in time for practice, and Izumi's father had work which meant that there was no car for Izumi to pick me up in. The events of today seemed to be pointing to one thing: Public Humiliation for Eternity featuring Shoyou Hinata. Nothing, could go right for once, could it? 

"Wait!" I shouted as if my previous thoughts had been spoken before I ran to the door and peered out of the window across the street. To my luck, the emerald sports car still sat in the driveway, and a devious--and dangerous--thought came to my mind and smeared a grin across my face. "It's okay Natsu. I have a ride."

In what seemed like seconds I managed to squirm out of the door, race across my yard, bound across the empty road, and creep up to Kageyama's doorstep. 

Kageyama's house wasn't overly large, in fact it was probably smaller than mine, and was constructed of brick. A chimney perched upon the roof toward the right side of the roof, but no smoke billowed out. Well-kept shrubs lined the walkway from the driveway up to his porch where several other decorative, flowering plants sat next to the door and porch swing. A large welcome mat was shoved beneath the door, and I gingerly wiped my feet off before punching the doorbell approximately twenty times with my tongue stuck out.

 _I wonder if Kageyama was invited? What if he wasn't and I drag him along?_ I pursed my lips and wondered about the probability of Kageyama being excluded from a social gathering. Not bringing Kageyama to public places was probably for the better, but I'm sure that Suga more than likely opened up the invitation to everybody. _Hmmm_.

While my thoughts of Kageyama's social skills began to roll down into the abyss that was my imagination, I failed to notice the door open and my classmate stand there looking at me with an overly annoyed expression plastered on his face.

_What if his parents never talked to him? Maybe that's why he's so str-- ___

__"What the hell are you doing over here? You have your own home," Kageyama shouted, interrupting my thoughts, and frankly scaring me half to death._ _

__His shiny raven hair was ruffled on the right side and hung in his eyes; he might have been napping when I ran over to assault his doorbell. The only clothes he wore were some simple mesh basketball shorts which were a royal blue color and came down to his knees, but my eyes were glued to his unclothed upper body._ _

__Sure, I was used to seeing guys shirtless; everyone had to use the same locker room to change for gym, but we were typically lanky and didn't care much about having a muscled build. Our priority was getting out of school once the last bell rang and what we'd eat once we came home. Koji was the only real fitness freak I associated myself with, but everyone knew he was built because of his athletics. No, I was definitely not prepared to find Kageyama as solid as a rock beneath his shirt. Actually, I wasn't prepared to see Kageyama without a shirt in general. Why did he have his shirt off in the first place?_ _

__"Why'd you come over here anyway? And why the heck is your face so red?" Kageyama spoke with an aggravated tone. His grey eyes looked me over with distaste before he gave me a scowl._ _

__"I-I, uhm, I came over here too...I came to ask if you were gonna go to Double-Shot," I swallowed hard. Was I blushing? Why would I be blushing? _What's wrong with you, Hinata?_ Shaking my head free of all thoughts, I turned my focus back to Kageyama to await his answer. _ _

__He ran his thumb beneath his middle fingernail and glanced down at me after flicking some dirt off. "I was planning on it. Why are you asking?"_ _

__I gave a soft huff of laughter before I replied, "W-well, I wanted to go...but I don't have a ride, so--"_ _

__"Nope. Don't ask," Kageyama turned around and walked back into his home, leaving the screen door to close behind him._ _

__Without thinking, I slung the door open and followed him inside as I found myself pleading with him, "But Kageyama! If you are going, and we live close b--"_ _

__"What the heck? I didn't invite you i--"_ _

__"Kageyama! Please! I want to go, and if I don't then I'll die! My social life is on the line! Have some sympathy, please man!" I whined as Kageyama ranted on about how I shouldn't barge into his house, "I'll buy you dinner or something?"_ _

__"Are you trying to ask me out?" Kageyama exclaimed, taken aback as a strange look swept his face and caused his eyes to look quite large._ _

__I paused. _What?_ "No! Not in the slightest! Why would I--it doesn't even? How does tha--what the heck? Kageyama! I just want a ride."_ _

__Sighing, the raven-haired male shook his head and then pulled on the waistband of his shorts before placing his right hand upon his hip. "Just a ride? Correct?"_ _

__"Right!" I answered with an excited nod._ _

__He grumbled a few inaudible words to himself before yawning as he turned to enter what seemed to be a hall way, "This is the only ride I will give you. Ever. Let me get changed, and don't break anything, you dolt. Go sit down or something." The sound of the door announced that he'd no longer be speaking to me which left me and my curiosity to pry around his home._ _

__Where I stood seemed to be a simple entry way with tile for flooring and cream-colored wall paper with small blue flowers adorning the wall. There was a walkway to my left which appeared to open up into the kitchen or perhaps the dining room, but I decided to not explore in that direction. To the right, a sliding door was eased open and the lights mounted on the wall were turned on; that was the direction that Kageyama had disappeared in, and I really didn't want to see him changing clothes nor face the punishment if I walked in on something I wasn't supposed to. Carefully, I walked into the room past the entryway and took a look around._ _

__The stone tile faded into a plush dark blue carpet which contrasted with the white wash walls. A small television sat in the corner and appeared to be gathering cobwebs along with its remotes; next to it sat a vintage radio which was turned off, but appeared to still work. I wasn't exactly interested enough to go see._ _

__Taking a seat on the gray loveseat that sat conveniently in front of the stagnant fireplace, I continued to examine my surroundings. The vaulted roof allowed massive windows on either side of the brick that made the fireplace. Decorative curtains fluttered in the wind as fresh air vented in from outside, allowing the house to smell like fresh cut grass. Several pictures hung on the wall, but one in particular caught my attention. Kageyama seemed to be a toddler and was asleep on a teddy bear; he seemed innocent and gentle. _Where did that baby go?__ _

__"Ahem," Kageyama faked a cough to get my attention. "Are you ready to leave, or are you going to nose your way into my house even further than you already managed?"_ _

__"S-Sorry," I squeaked as he surprised me. I didn't hear Kageyama open his door again, much less walk into the same room as me. "I wasn't trying to intrude I jus--"_ _

__"Save the excuses, I don't want to hear them. Let's just get to the Double-Shot so I can hang out with some people who use their brain," he turned toward the door and slipped on a pair of his own black high-tops._ _

__I followed him and gave him a friendly shove, trying to break the heavy mood between the two of us, "Kageyama, you're so mean!"_ _

__I spun around at the door while I waited for him to lace up his shoes. The glare he was giving me was overly creepy, but not as creepy as the evil smirk that swept across his face, "Well, I'm mean and you're short. Life is rough."_ _

__"Hey! What gives you the right to call me short?" I argued with my classmate._ _

__"Uhm...," he gave a humored laugh, "I'm taller than you?" His last words were more of a statement than a question; nevertheless, he pushed me out of the door after he took his keys off the ring, and we walked to his car._ _

__Once again, I found myself in the lap of luxury in his comfortable seats listening to the engine purr. Some music played quietly in the background after he started to back out, but it was a group that I was completely unaware of._ _

__"Don't expect any other rides from me," Kageyama stated bluntly as he turned left on to the next street._ _

__"Wasn't going to," I replied just as quickly. I saw him shoot me a glance from the corner of my eye, and I snickered, "You know, for someone who doesn't like me very well, you look at me a lot."_ _

__Kageyama frowned, "I like to know what displeases me so I don't run into it again later in life."_ _

___Well played._ _ _

__Our conversations for the ride ended upon that remark, and I found myself watching the passing scenery once more until we drew close to the town square. Suga's Thunderbird was parked in front of the diner along with Tanaka's truck; however, all the diner's parking slots were taken, so we had to park at the old print shop and walk over._ _

__"Looks like Suga and Daichi are here, right, Kageyama?" I questioned as we both emerged from the green Camaro into the unbearable heat of day._ _

__"I guess if Daichi rode with Suga, but chances are he did. Tsukishima is here," Kageyama pointed out the tall blonde standing outside the diner alongside Yamaguchi as we walked toward the sidewalk._ _

__"Just great," I grumbled and shoved my hands into my pocket. Tsukishima and I had gotten off on the wrong foot, and now we seemed to be stomping on each others feet. He rubbed me the wrong way, and maybe it was because our personalities were different, but I just wasn't too fond of the guy._ _

__As we approached the entrance, Tsukishima grabbed Kageyama by the shoulder, and I thought they were going to fight; however, they simply ended up talking about some class that they shared while I was left to guide myself through the door alone._ _

__The smell of fresh burgers and fries was almost as solid as the door itself; there were several booths along the walls with tables along the middle area. I was surprised to say that the checkered floor, despite all the people, was absolutely spotless. Near the grill and kitchen area, a bar had been placed, but all the seats were full. Bright neon signs and lights were placed all around the diner alongside plaques and posters for famous idols. Teens dotted every table, and the crowd was absolutely impenetrable. Elvis played over the speakers from the jukebox where several people from the high school crowded around and compiled a playlist as they shoved in quarter after quarter. Then, a waving hand caught my attention._ _

__Daichi, Tanaka, Suga, and Asahi were all seated at a large corner booth capable of holding ten or so people, and thus I inched my way passed the hungry teenagers demanding their free milkshakes._ _

__"Hey, guys!" I announced as I slid into the booth with a grin._ _

__"Hey, Hinata," Daichi laughed heartily._ _

__"Hey, Lil' Guy," Tanaka teased._ _

__Suga chuckled at me while Asahi offered up a sheepish wave._ _

__Before I could mention anything else, Tanaka had launched himself across the table and was grabbing at my shirt collar as he pulled me in close to him before whispering, "Hinata, we got the jackpot today!"_ _

__My brows furrowed, "Jack...pot?"_ _

__"Yes!" He exclaimed louder than he meant to, "Kiyoko is our waiter and she's got a new assistant who is cute! Women like Kiyoko aren't born often! You have to wow them quick or they'll be gone in a flash."_ _

__I glanced to Asahi and then to Daichi before looking back to Tanaka and joking, "Well, why don't you propose already?"_ _

__He gave a triumphant grin before gawking, "I have! Three times to be exact, and three times I've been rejected. Until I met her, I never knew that rejection could feel so satisfying." Tanaka relaxed back into the seat and wrapped his arms around himself._ _

__"How long has this been happening?" I turned to Suga and Daichi who just gave disappointed sighs at Tanaka's encounters with females._ _

__Daichi shrugged, "As long as we've known him, I guess?"_ _

__Suga gave a nod of approval before taking a drink of his milkshake; coincidentally, I was tapped on the shoulder at the same moment._ _

__A young blonde girl, I think she was also a sophomore at our high school, stood with her hair pinned up and tied back with a checkered bow as she held a notepad and a pen. "H-hi! I'm Yachi, and I'll be serving you today. Are you here for a milkshake?"_ _

__"Yep!" I grinned, "If I can get a chocolate one, that'd be pretty rad."_ _

__She nodded before scrawling some illegible coding down and walking off with a faint smile, a strand of hair bouncing as she made her way into the kitchen._ _

___I can't imagine how worked these poor waiters are..._ _ _

__Pondering the disadvantages of working at such a busy diner, I managed to miss Kuroo and Kenma walk in the door to join us. Kageyama followed suit, but by that time I was aware that our crowd was growing. Kenma sat on the edge of the booth before Kuroo made him scoot in, but the wild-haired senior wasn’t sitting for long once someone spotted him._ _

__“Ohoho! Ayy look what the cat dragged in!” A loud boisterous voice squawked from the opposite side of the dining area._ _

__Kuroo practically lept from his seat and pointed in the direction of the voice; everyone at our table seemed to turn their heads in the direction he was pointing._ _

__I was matched with the sight of another guy--probably a high schooler considering he knew Kuroo--jumping across table tops with his tongue stuck out as he headed our way. He leaped down after being scolded by an older waiter and ran the rest of the way over to our booth where he promptly punched Kuroo harshly in the shoulder, drawing a devilish grin out latter._ _

__“Dude! I haven’t seen you in forever!” The new arrival gasped as he shoved Kuroo around like a doll._ _

__The new guy wore a bright blue jacket over his wrinkled black polo with the collar flipped up. White ripped jeans clad his strong legs before being rolled up right above his sneakers. However, his normal attire was nothing in comparison to his outrageous hair. Typically females were the ones with the ridiculous haircuts--though I’d never say that to any girl if asked--but this guy’s hair was a mixture of black and white that struck straight up in the air and bounced with every move he made._ _

__Kuroo coughed as he received a strong, yet playful blow to the stomach, and he pulled his assailant into a choke hold before wrestling him down to the ground and giving a well-deserved knuckle sandwich. “You bastard, that’ll teach you to hit me again!”_ _

__“Kuroo, you and Akaashi both know that I never learn!” He laughed as he stood up and dusted off his jacket._ _

__Kuroo extended his hand before letting out a sigh of defeat, “Alright, guys, this is my friend Bokut--”_ _

__“I’m Koutarou Bokuto, but people call me Bokuto and sometime Loud! I’ve known Kuroo since I practically came out of the womb, and we’re like brothers! He’s a whole lot weaker than me, and I’m obviously the coolest!!” Bokuto pointed to himself before giving a brilliant wink only to be pushed aside by Kuroo._ _

__“You know, you’ve got a big ego for it to bust so easily. Pipe down before you get us all kicked out, alright?” Kuroo huffed before sitting down once more beside Kenma and propping his feet up on the table forcing it toward me._ _

__Bokuto turned around and waved over his shoulder, “Well, I’m gonna go get back to my gang. We should all hang out some time. And don’t be a stranger or I’ll phone you every time I get lonely.”_ _

__Kenma turned to Kuroo who currently hung his head in frustration. “...you have weird friends, Kuroo.”_ _

__The larger male looked up deviously, “Yeah, and you are one of them!”_ _

__Kageyama shifted beside me, in fact I wasn’t aware that he had taken the seat and was more that a little surprised that he sat next to me, and I noticed as Nishinoya walked in and took the seat beside him. Tsukishima and Yamaguchi dragged over spare chairs and joined at the end of the booth.; at the same time, the blonde came back to the table holding two milkshakes._ _

__"Uhm...one chocolate milkshake...a-and a vanilla one?" The girl was obviously nervous, possibly intimidated by all the noise the crowd--mainly my table--was making, or maybe she just wasn't good with people._ _

__I raised my hand and smiled, "Chocolate here!"_ _

__Kageyama waved his finger and glanced her way, "Vanilla."_ _

__She placed our drinks on the table which nearly flipped when Noya jolted out of his seat and grabbed the waitress's hand._ _

__"Y-You're so cute, Yachi! Every time I come into Double-Shots' just seeing you makes me smile a lot! Thank you for doing such a good job!" He beamed sincerely._ _

__Before the diner, I never knew a person could actually faint from embarrassment, but sure enough, the so-called Yachi's grew more and more red as Noya rambled on about her good work, and soon she was falling backward; however, she was soon caught by another waitress which made Nishinoya and Tanaka alike fall to their knees in the floor._ _

__She came out of nowhere. Honestly, I was unsure whether or not she was human at the speed she reacted to Yachi fainting, but luckily enough, she secured the younger waitress with her arms and gently lay her aside._ _

__The new waitress was older, you could tell by the composed herself and the way she handled the drastic situation. Her face was like pure ivory--clean and supple. Her long silky black hair was, like Yachi's, pulled behind her head and secured in a pony tail; however, her countenance was much more composed than Yachi seemed to be capable of. An apron was secured around her white button up and hung down to her knees. Carefully, she pushed her glasses up on her face, shifted her weight to one hip, and crossed her arms before giving our entire a table a menacing look._ _

__"Kiyoko! Marry us!" Tanaka groveled at her feet._ _

__Nishinoya nodded and held up his hand in her direction, "I am not worthy of this beautiful presence. Miss Kiyoko, please take my hand and embrace my everlasting love for you."_ _

__Across the table, Asahi nearly spit out a mouthful of his milkshake as we all watched Kiyoko pick up Yachi and then head to the back after offering a blunt, "I don't date little boys."_ _

__Daichi and Asahi erupted in raw laughter as Tanaka and Noya stood up with a starstruck expression smeared across their faces. Despite being blatantly insulted, both men appeared completely satisfied with the situation as they hugged themselves and then each other, snickering._ _

__I turned to look to Suga who was simply shaking his head in distaste and pinching the bridge of his nose, "Do...do they do this often?"_ _

__He let out a sigh before flipping off his hat only to place it back on his head, crooked, "Only every time they come here...which is two or three times a week. We used to think it strange, but now it's just become simple background music that we all wash out of our minds until they get into trouble, and we have to take responsibility."_ _

__"I see," I chuckled, baffled at the upperclassmens’' behavior as they finally settled back down into their regular seating. Daichi began telling a story of his childhood, and I leaned back into my seat, slowly sipping on my milkshake completely satisfied with the quality._ _

__Thinking back to my elementary school days, I could have never predicted that I would be invited out to hang with so many different people. Growing up, I was told I would never fit in, and they were actually right. I was never preppy or sporty, nor was I grunge or punk. I was into a little bit of everything, and that often made it hard to make friends believe it or not. If you liked something that the people in a certain group didn't, you were always kicked out. Even in high school I am still little bit of an oddball, especially because I haven't found my social clique. But looking around, I was satisfied with the outcome of my fluctuating interests; I was content with the people that I had found in the first few weeks of school. A smile found it's way to my face as I looked around at everyone gathered around the table: a jock, a punk, a greaser, a nerd. Something with these guys saw past differences..._ _

__"So do you think she's cute or not!"_ _

__Tanaka beat on the table and jolted me back into reality. He was craning over Daichi who now had beads of sweat forming on his forehead and appeared to be trying to imitate an interrogation off of some criminal show on television as he grabbed the hanging light and shined it in Daichi's face._ _

__Suga sat casually with an eyebrow cocked at his best friend as his chin rested in his hand from where he propped his arm up on the table._ _

__Trying to block out the searing light, Daichi reached out in front of his eyes to cover them and squinted, "N-now, she isn't ugly b-bu--"_ _

__Asahi gave a hearty laugh before cutting Daichi off, "Anyone who knows Daichi well, knows that he has _other_ interests."_ _

__Daichi's face grew the faintest shade of red as he shot a glare of condemnation towards Asahi who reacted by shrinking in his seat and finishing off his strawberry milkshake. Suga withdrew his hands from the table as he gave the faintest smile._ _

__"Oooh, I get it," Tanaka winked before taking his two index fingers and shoving them together in an overly lewd motion with his tongue sticking out._ _

__I scrunched my nose at the dirty implications, and made note that Tanaka was slightly perverted._ _

__Daichi's mouth gaped open as he shook his head in rejection of Tanaka's implied actions before he cleared his throat to answer, "No, no. Nothing like that! I guess you could say...that...I know what I want but I'm not half the man it deserves."_ _

__We all froze and blinked at Daichi in a moment of silence before shooting glances and everyone at the table. I was almost certain I heard Tsukishima quietly snort, but I was too unsure to make the accusation myself. However, the words that rendered us silent, soon struck a fire when Kuroo slammed his fist down on the white table top and cause all the glasses upon it to clatter._ _

__"Daichi! Stop being poetic. That was beautiful. What the hell are you talking about? 'Not half the man' my ass!" Kuroo seemed to be clawing at Daichi from four seats away--he was practically laying in Kenma's lap as he tried to reach for the other senior._ _

__Kenma frowned before shoving the older male off and scolding him, "Kuroo...stop being ridiculous...you'll embarrass us all."_ _

__Kageyama, who had remained relatively silent the whole night spoke up from beside me and looked directly at Daichi, "If you aren't half the man he deserves, then I think he might be too good for anybo--"_ _

__The bell on the door rang once again announcing someone else's arrival; by now, I'd been able to ignore it along with everyone else, but when the room became overwhelmingly loud with girlish squeals, I couldn't help but turn my attention to the entryway._ _

__Girls, and some boys, were flocked around two people who hadn't even made it all the way through the door yet. One was average height with dark silky hair that stuck out in spots from beneath his ball cap; his skin was a dark olive that contrasted with the white tank and pastel blue over shirt. I couldn't tell much from the waist down due to the sudden flock of people, but then again, I couldn't get my eyes off of his arms anyway. He had to practically live at the gym..._ _

__"Ladies, ladies. Quiet down, I realize you all love me, but let's not make it a burden for the less popular customers. They'd probably like to eat their lonely meals undisturbed," the other guy said as he waved his hands gingerly at the crowd which quickly followed his request._ _

__In contrast to the other guy, the flirtatious one stood several inches taller. His bright, flashy smile allowed his perfectly white teeth to glisten and sparkle. His skin was pretty much flawless and was a soft ivory from what I could tell. Swooshing to one side, his milk chocolate hair was fluffy and wavy without any stray hairs minus the one that seemed to stick out purposefully. His dark brown eyes were showcased with long black eyelashes that batted too many times to be considered normal or innocent. His cheeks held a rosy hue as he spoke to each and every girl that tried to glue herself to him. He gave out hugs and pictures and even little kisses to anyone who asked, and it was absolutely disgusting. The only thing I even slightly appreciated--besides his perfect teeth and skin--was his designer outfit. The silk white button up seemed to reflect the artificial light given off by the ones hanging above and it looked so soft; on any other person his skin tone, it probably would have washed them out, but this guy's personality couldn't be overcast by anything it seemed. The blue tie that hung around his neck was a sign that he had a lot of money stored somewhere. It was quite unusual to wear a tie out in public unless you were on a date, super rich, or one of the most fashionable people in town that had inherited some clothes, and even then, most people didn't wear silk, unless you were Suga of course--cotton was the most popular choice because it was extremely affordable._ _

__By this time, I'd gathered my thoughts on the guy and returned my normal position by Kageyama; however, as I looked at my seating neighbor, I noticed that his jaw had tightened and his fists were clamped shut in his lap as he whispered, "That haughty bastard. Don't notice me. Don't notice me. Don't notice me."_ _

__Without thinking, I poked him in the head as I cocked my own before asking, "Hey, Kageya--"_ _

__His hand slapped over my mouth at an inhuman speed as he yelled out, "Don't you dare say my name! Hinata!"_ _

__I watched out of the corner of my eye as the tallest new arrival turned around with an evil smirk plastered on his face before he twined his fingers together and began walking toward our own table._ _

__"Uhhhm Kahgehyaa, hhh heded diff weh," I tried to mouth around Kageyama's hand, but my captor failed to make out my words or notice that I was trying to signal to him._ _

__Suddenly, the brown-haired guy squatted down at the edge of our table and gave an overly friend smile as he called out, "Oh, hey there, Tobio." Something about his tone sent chills down my spine; he was like a foreign food: it smelled good and looked good, but in a few hours it's tear you up from the inside out._ _

__Kageyama relinquished me from his grip as he swallowed hard before acknowledging the newest member at our table. His eyebrows drew downwards angrily while he chewed on the inside of his cheek, examining the other male. "Oikawa," Kageyama answered bluntly._ _

__The latter smiled and arched an eyebrow while he rubbed the back of his neck and gave a soft huff of laughter, "You never change do you, Tobio? Always a little heathen, but it looks like you've managed to convince some people that you aren't who you truly are. They seem to actually like you. That's impressive."_ _

__Letting out a sigh in what I dubbed an attempt to keep calm, Kageyama leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms, "You sorry bastard. I'd rather put up a front than live my life as a pathetic fraud."_ _

__The person whose name was apparently Oikawa--or that's at least what Kageyama had referred to him as--stood up and crossed his arms as a challenging look came across his face. "You brat, at least I'm happy with my life. I've got anything and everything I could possibly ask for, and look at you rolling around trying to fit in places where you don't belong." He gave an innocent smile before allowing his next statement to roll off his tongue like a sweet nectar, "Aren't you the sad pathetic one here?"_ _

__I jolted as Kageyama jumped up and out from the booth as he squared up in front of Oikawa, "Places I don't belong? You need to reevaluate the situation, you son of a bitch. Look around, it's a ten to one fight right now, and I've just been waiting to throw you on the ground ever since elementary school."_ _

__Running a hand through his hair, Oikawa gave a snarky response as he looked at Kageyama in what appeared to be sympathy, "Tobio, you've always stood alone. What makes right now any different?"_ _

__I've seen Kageyama in many different moods in the past three weeks, and until today I thought I knew what his angry looked like; however, the fiery look embedded in his glare would have likely killed me if I was on the receiving end of it. His fists were clamped so tight that the veins in his arms were beginning to poke through; I shot a glance over at Suga to see if he knew anything about the sudden outburst between the two, but he just shook his head with wide eyes._ _

__"Tch. Not even your so-called friends will defend you," Oikawa gave a triumphant, yet disappointed laugh. "Like I said, you hav--"_ _

__"I've had enough of your attitude. I'm not sure what's going on between you two, but look, bud, we just came here to have a good time. Kageyama is pretty much one of us by now, and I think you need to step down," Kuroo stood up and pushed his way between Kageyama and Oikawa as he shot the latter a challenging glare._ _

__Oikawa's face wrinkled in some unidentifiable emotion before he continued, "You don't have to pretend to like the guy. Trust me, I've known him for years. Don't stoop to his level."_ _

__Kuroo gave a threatening smirk as he put a hand on his hip, "You're lucky I'm stooping to your level just to deal your pretty rich boy attitude."_ _

__Daichi somehow managed to wiggle his way out of the booth and pushed the two apart before making Kuroo take a seat, and addressing Oikawa with a much more respectful manner than I was capable of giving, "Look. I apologize for Kuroo. He's defensive of anyone he considers a friend. Now I'm not sure what has happened to cause all of the tension between you and Kageyama, but I would ask you to set it aside. We're all allowed our own rights to peace, and we just came out here to relax and have good milkshakes."_ _

__Oikawa gave another grin, "Right, right. So you're the middle ground of the group. I'll drift with what you're saying, but you better watch out who you associate yourselves with or you'll get into some screwed up stuff. Isn't that right, Tobio?" Oikawa was already walking off as he finished that statement, but he turned back around as he passed Kageyama and gave a wink._ _

__"You bastard," Kageyama growled as he pulled his arm back, but Noya latched onto his elbow rendering Kageyama unable to swing the punch._ _

__Oikawa was about to come out with some other snarky remark, but then he lurched over as a foot caught him in the side. The other male that he walked in with grabbed Oikawa's collar with a menacing glare plastered on his face._ _

__"You little prick. Stop bothering other people and causing a scene," he jerked Oikawa backwards and tossed him in the floor before looking back and making eye contact with everyone at the table. He held Kageyama's stare as he spoke, "I apologize for this imbecile and anything he's done. He's truly an awful person. Please stay as far away from him as humanly possible." Once he finished apologizing, he grabbed Oikawa's forearm violently and jerked him up from the ground then lead him to their table._ _

__Despite the genuine apology Kageyama still looked angry, and soon, he stormed out of the door and slammed it behind him without saying a word._ _

__I watched in curiosity and concern;however, this wasn’t a matter that I was necessarily concerned in, and I was pretty sure Kageyama was capable of killing me. Making the first smart decision--or so I thought--I sat back down with the others as they began whispering about the situation._ _

__“What was all of that about anyway?” Nishinoya attempted to whisper across the table receiving mere shrugs from the others._ _

__“Do you think he will be okay?” Suga asked with a concerned expression._ _

__Tsukishima gave a curt nod, “I think it’s his pride that hurts.”_ _

__Asahi peeked out of the window, “I believe a little more that pride took a blow there…”_ _

__Daichi sighed, “Well, he’s probably on his way home now, so looks like he’ll miss s’mores at the bonfire.”_ _

__I spoke up, “Wait! We’re having s’mores? That’s awes--No! Wait! Kageyama drove me here! He can’t leave!” In a flash, I leaped from my seat and pushed past the few people loitering within the doorway before easing my way outside to see that Kageyama’s car was still parked at the printing company beneath a dim and flickering streetlight. It appeared to me that my acquaintance and ride was currently sitting on the hood of his car._ _

___Hinata, you should go see if he is okay_ I silently encouraged myself. _One foot after the other. If you don’t remind him of your presence then you will end up here stranded and alone with Oikawa._ _ _

__I rubbed my chilled bare arms as I sauntered across the sidewalk towards Kageyama, but I stopped several feet away from the car once something caught my attention. Well, no so much something as someone._ _

__His raven hair glistened like the night sky in under the faint glow of the streetlight and spilled back like black waves as he tilted his head to the sky and let out a soft puff of smoke that billowed upward to the sky in a mesmerizing dance. The blue of his heavy lidded eyes faintly glistened as a careless smirk overcame his rigid features. As the light from above hit his cheekbones, I noticed the present glow upon his face due to a thin layer of sweat that had more than likely accumulated inside the diner. Sinfully so, I allowed my eyes to further take in his features taking note of the definition of his neck and collarbone that peeked out over the trim of his shirt. Long legs looked even longer in his skin tight black pants and crossed at the knee while he bounced his foot. _Something about Kageyama alone like this...his posture, his motions. Rather than his normally rigid disposition...it's somewhat...alluri--__ _

__"It's almost as if you like what you see," Kageyama smirked devilishly. Then he huffed dryly before taking another drag on his cigarette._ _

__I shrugged off the comment easier than I had expected to before commenting, "I just came out to be sure you were all right."_ _

__He laughed bitterly before replying with an unholy amount of sarcasm, "Well, isn't that just sweet of you? You're such a little angel. God is pleased with your soul."_ _

__I rolled my eyes before leaning against the streetlight overhanging the car and attempting to strike a conversation, "I didn't know you smoke."_ _

__He glanced at me while studying the cigarette within his hand, "Oh, I don't."_ _

__I squinted, slightly confused, and almost questioned him, but then he continued after taking another draw and leaning back on his windshield. "I don't smoke habitually, and it's just clove. I'm not going to screw myself over with all that nicotine shit. I hear that messes with you. No, I just have a case of these for when I need to calm down; believe me if you don't believe anyone else, they work."_ _

__Giving an understanding nod, I took the opportunity to take a seat next to him, "I understand. Now that you mention it, those cigarettes don't have a pungent, foul odor like the others."_ _

__He sighed while watching the stars, "Nope. Not really."_ _

__Neither of us said a word for several minutes, and what I expected to be an awkward silence turned into a comfortable one. Sitting beside him, I had time to notice that he'd hung his leather from the driver's side mirror--not that it mattered anyway. Clothes were the least of my worries as we watched the stars become brighter by the second. As I began to wonder how to question Kageyama, he actually broke the silence first._ _

__"Sorry...about what happened in there," He sighed while smashing out the butt of his cigarette on the bottom of his left shoe._ _

__I shrugged, "It's not like you started it all. What's with that guy anyway?"_ _

__Kageyama's neutral expression turned into a solemn frown, "No, I did start it years ago. Truth is, Oikawa and I are the same. We're both fucked up so bad that we can't help but blame the world. We're too scared to admit that we've ruined ourselves. We're just...fucked up." He pulled his arms behind his head to act as a pillow._ _

__Giving a smile I lightly nudged him, "Well, for what it's worth I think you're an alright guy. You helped me out the first day of school and all, so I owe my social life to you."_ _

__He let out a little grin at the memory._ _

__"Not to mention," I continued, "You're really talented when we go and play volleyball, and I've always been a little jealous of your car."_ _

__"Thanks," he huffed with a slight smile._ _

__I gave him an assuring nod before asking another question in hopes that this light, open mood would hang around for a while, "So that guy, Oikawa, how long have you know each other?"_ _

__"Years," Kageyama answered quickly, "Since elementary school I guess. My family moved a lot when I was younger, so I was used to changing schools. Oikawa was always a favorite to the gym teacher and athletics program, so I looked up to him. He was actually one of my closest friends when I moved, but as we got older. Things got screwed up and we became rivals, and then there was some shit that went down that you wouldn't understand. Really it's all a blur, and I'm not entirely sure why it happened in the first place. We were both really ignorant in the matter to be honest, but he's really ignorant anyway--"_ _

__"Did he ever do anything to make you happy?" I laughed. From the way Kageyama was describing him, it sounded as if Oikawa had always been a douche._ _

__"Ah yeah. He was alright for a little while. He was pretty alright on and off up until recently, and now he's just so far up his own asshole that he can't make out what's reality and what isn't," Kageyama stretched out his arms before sitting back up and pulling a knee up to his chest; I remained sprawled out on the hood as the silence once more settled over us._ _

__A gentle wind blew through the area cooling us both off, and I watched as Kageyama would close his eyes every time the breeze would overcome him. Maybe it was just the effect of the cigarettes, but Kageyama was different now than any of the impressions I had ever gotten from him. Something about him now was so brutally real, so...vivid. I didn't know how to describe it, but I liked it. I liked his honesty._ _

__"Hinata, do you have something against homosexuals?"_ _

__The question was as blunt as Kageyama himself, and just about as random as my organization skills. It was asked in barely a whisper, but it seemed to thunder in my ears and made me sit up on the hood of the car._ _

__I pondered the question, and I thought of my answer for a few minutes; in fact, I wasn't sure how to react. I'd never really been asked a question like that before._ _

__Shrugging, I replied lightly, "Not really, but then again I don't know too many people who are gay, so...yeah, they are pretty cool I guess." I gave a careless laugh and let my mouth run faster than my brain once more when I blurted out, "Why? Are you gay or something?"_ _

__His blue eyes met my amber ones with a serious expression. He looked down only momentarily to pull out another cigarette, and I noticed that his hands were shaking ever so slightly. After taking a short huff, he lowered his eyelids and looked down at me, "I mean. I was gonna say it with a little more spice, but yeah I guess I am." He lay back down against the windshield._ _

___Oh shit. I offended him. Good going, Hinata_ Quickly I swallowed, "A-ah! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to offend you or anything! I promise that it's not weird or anything. You can like whoever you want, right? That's basic huma--"_ _

__He laughed obviously relaxed from the effects of smoking, "Calm down, I'm not offended, but I take it you aren't...you know?" He extended his cigarette to me motioning for me to take it, but I pushed his hand away gently._ _

__"I don't know. I've never considered myself to be gay, but I've never really dated anyone either, so I guess anything could happen right?" I shrugged._ _

__"I like that," he said before sliding off the hood and walking in slow circles to stretch out his legs. People were starting to flood out of the diner one by one which was our cue to be ready to go to the field where the bonfire would be._ _

__"Like what?" I questioned while waving to Kenma as he and Kuroo approached._ _

__"Anything can happen," Kageyama repeated before slipping into his vehicle and shutting the door as I opened the passenger side._ _

__Kenma caught me before I could sit down and asked quietly, "Is everything alright?"_ _

__I nodded in return and gave him a short spill of what I had learned before announcing that we'd be going to the bonfire with everyone else. Kenma just gave me an uninterested nod before walking back over to his own car and scolding Kuroo for sitting on the roof of it._ _

___That's right_. I plopped down into the seats of the Camaro and strapped on the seat belt as Kageyama adjusted the radio to a decent channel. I glanced over at him to take in the pleasant sight once again: ruffled dark hair, mystifying eyes, a cigarette clenched between his index and middle finger. This was the real Kageyama._ _

__The engine purred as he flipped the key over and pulled her into reverse to begin our drive down the road; we pulled off of the square and in twenty minutes we were on the highway listening to some Madonna song until Kageyama suddenly lowered the volume._ _

__"Hey, Hinata. Did I forget something at the diner?"_ _

__I thought back and shrugged, "I don't think s--"_ _

__"You sure?"_ _

__I gasped, "Oh shit! Your vest!"_ _

__"...fuck."_ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***No offense was intended to people who smoke habitually. I just needed some dialogue for Kageyama and an explanation for him to give***
> 
> Anyway, be prepared for a one-shot of Daisuga shortly!


	5. Prologue: End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long hiatus and wait on this chapter. I finally finished school allowing me to have a bunch of free time and self-reflection. Initially, I was going to abandon this fic, but I realized I can't do that.
> 
> Anyway, here's to the emotional ride you all will endure. This is just the beginning.
> 
> (Short chapter)

A silent car ride was what I had expected, but I received everything but one; after we had to turn around--I mean make an illegal u-turn in the middle of a two-lane--and get Kageyama's vest, he'd been talking about how absent-minded he felt. Music was our accompaniment to small talk, and the night felt absolutely alive. With the wind wafting in through the lowered windows and the late-night serenade of low, sultry tones sounding from the radio, I felt free; I felt invincible. 

Kageyama steered his vehicle up into the gravel drive next to Kenma's car and lay his head back, rubbing his eyes before popping the door open. "Are you going to come on or wait a little? It seems that everyone is here, but us."

I peeked into the rear-view mirror and wiped a smudge from my face before popping open the other door and stepping out. "Yeah, seems like it. If some dumb ass wouldn't have left their jacket then may--"

"You're pushing your luck on a ride home," Kageyama smacked the back of my head as we made our way to the group of people gathered beneath the lage oak tree standing in the field.

I frowned. _Damn him._

The night had chilled as the hours slipped by; a fresh dew had started to settle on the ground, and the moon was fast approaching it's peak. The quiet of night broken only by sounds of the square in the distance and the laughs of the familiar shadows nearby. Kageyama was ahead of me, walking rather quickly; that was fine. He'd left his vest in the car, leaving only his fitted jeans and white band tee to cover his body. It looked nice on him, subtle, but still nice.

 _...'Kageyama' and 'nice' in the same sentence?_ I shook my head to clear my previous thoughts while silently cursing myself before headlights swept across the field, and the sound of tires crunching gravel could be heard pulling into the makeshift parking space. Curiously, I whipped around to see a clearly disheveled Suga fixing stray hairs and plopping his hat atop his head and a goofy-looking, contented Daichi tossing the lighter fluid from one hand to another and back again.

"Hurry up, you idiot!" Suga snapped at Daichi as he caught up to where I had stopped, "Everyone is waiting on you so we can light the fire. Don't you think it would look suspicious if a police officer drove by and saw all these people standing in the shadows in the middle of a feild?"

Daichi passed the silver-blonde male and poked his nose, "It's going to look even more suspicious if we have a fire going. We'll probably get in trouble with the police just being out after curfew, so what does it matter? Plus we wouldn't be late if it weren't for you anyway." He smiled and walked over to the others, receiving a sharp smack to the back from whom I assumed could only be Kuroo. 

"I swear I hate him," Suga sighed while pinching the bridge of his nose. "Anyway, it's good to see you here Hinata." The older beamed at me, but something was clearly off about him. It was strange, and maybe it was just me; however, Suga's cheeks seemed to be more pink than usual, his hair was out of place--which was a new area in itself, plus I could have sworn that I saw a mark on his neck--I was probably imagining it.

"It's good to be invited to something like this, Suga!" I bounced with excitement letting my curiosity fly to the wind, "Typically I don't have that many older friends...in fact all I've really had are Izumi and Koji but they're all really busy nowadays. I enjoy the company of everyone, and you're all really inclusive. It's just fun." I nodded up to the senior.

He gave a small smile, "I have to agree with you, and I'm glad everyone is understanding and accepting. It makes it easier on us all in the long run. Plus, in my opinion we shouldn't discriminate against anyone based on who they are or what they like or even whom they like. But then again, my mindset isn't exactly the popular one." He ruffled my hair as we made our way toward the crowd of people sitting on logs or the ground around the fire.

"Well," I spoke before he walked off toward Asahi, Daichi, and Kuroo, "I think your mindset shouldn't have to be popular to be correct. If it's correct, eventually everyone will change to see things like you."

Suga gave a small huff of laughter, "You're right. Thanks, Hinata." On that note, he squirmed onto the log beside his friends and became immersed in their conversation.

I opted to take a seat on the ground beside the log where Kageyama sat next to Tsukishima. Not long afterwards, Kenma settled next to me still immersed in some hand-held game, paying no attention to those around him.

"Kenma, did you just come here to play games?" Kuroo laughed as he swiped a match that refused to light.

"Did you just come here to strike matches?" Kenma muttered in response with a quirked brow.

"You just got told, kitty boy!" Tanaka laughed boisterously before standing to smack Kuroo on the back. 

The taller male lurched forward causing the match he held to strike against the box for what must have been the twentieth time; however, a small spark shot off and a miniscule flame was ignited. 

"Ryuu, you are a magician," Nishinoya gawked, jolting up from his spot in the grass where he had lay on his denim jacket.

Kuroo grimaced at the metal-head who was now doubled over in laughter and shoved him, "I've been trying to light matches for what feels like hours and you just come along and make it light up! Tanaka! If you could light a match that damn easily then why didn't you just say so--"

"Kuroo, you're about to set your hand on fire if you don't toss the match," Suga gently called out.

"Oh. Thanks, Sugawara," Kuroo called casually as he flicked the burning match into the heap of branches and twigs that set off an luminous, bursting flame.

Instantly the atmosphere warmed, and I subtly checked to be sure my eyebrows were still intact. Now with more light than what the dim flickering streetlight managed to give off, I could finally make out everybody's figures while they moved to their seats for the night. Daichi was seated, no surprise, beside Suga as he seemed to be trying to spark the first inclusive conversation; nothing much had changed since we had been at Double-Shots except he had ruffled his hair a bit. Just as expected of him, his eyes were still glowing, rivaling that of the fire's. 

Accented by the subtle crackle of the fire, the night turned into a group of high-schoolers hanging out, to a band of brothers. Not much was said to begin with other than a few immature jokes from the extroverts among us, but nothing to extravagant. Rather than an awkward silence, the atmosphere was comforting--maybe because of the amount of trust we had all developed for one another in such little time. However, our relaxed disposition was a fleeting moment as soon as Daichi cleared his throat.

Extending his hands to the fire, his dark eyes scanned over all of our faces, or well at least the ones who weren't already passed out, before he questioned, "So Kageyama, that guy at the diner?"

In an instant, I felt Kageyama become overly tense while he peered up through lidded eyes, "He's an old friend and a new adversary. He's an ass, and don't go trying to get involved with him."

Smiling slightly, Suga commented, "We don't get involved with people like him. But we were curious on how he knew you so well, or if something bad had happened. But it's none of our business, so it doesn't matter."

Kuroo rolled his eyes and growled, "I'd like to knock him from his damn pedestal."

Letting out a huff of laughter, Kageyama glanced over at the taller male, "By now, Oikawa is the pedestal."

This time Tanaka jolted up with a triumphant grin and roared, "Why? Because he'll get under just about anyone?"

 _Oh my god._ "You didn't just say that!" I shreiked.

Asahi, whose face was almost glowing red, spoke up, "Tanaka, remember we have kids here."

However, the warning did nothing to settle the latter, but instead managed to cause another wave of boisterous laughter and a conversation about how much sophomores knew and didn't know. Soon enough, we were all laughing and poking fun as the night carried on whether it was about something simplistic as what pets we owned or how many people we'd dated, or something complex and mind-boggling like why stars don't ever move. Somewhere around three in the morning after our fire had long dwindled into ash and we were all drifting off, there was a sense of acceptance that overcame me. It was from this moment that I knew I was just beginning the story that would become the streetlight illuminating my future.


End file.
